Beginning with You and I
by Heiress of Nature
Summary: Sasuke returns to Konoha and struggles to accept his new life after Orochimaru, after Itachi, and after the war. Sakura is eager to reconnect with her old friend, but she's in for a lot more than she bargained for. SasuSaku fluff. Rated M for mature language and adult themes; no lemons.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hello, readers! This is my first Naruto fanfiction (and my first fanfiction to be published in several years), so I welcome your constructive criticism, suggestions, and comments! I apologize in advance if anyone seems out-of-character. After the war, I imagine Sasuke to be quite a bit different from his past self. I have not completely finished the manga, but I know the general plot line. [Spoiler Alert] Also, I have eliminated the fact that Sasuke and Naruto each lost an arm, and I've eliminated the rinnegan for simplicity's sake. With that being said, I'm trying to be as canon as possible while still using my creative license. If you like the story, please review! If you have suggestions, please review! If you hate it, feel free to leave a constructive comment to help me improve my writing! I've already written several chapters, but I have not yet completed the story, so any suggestions will be considered. Without further ado, please enjoy the story!**

* * *

The Fourth Great Shinobi War had ended a little over a year ago. Shortly afterwards, the nine-tailed jinchūriki and the last surviving Uchiha clashed in a battle that had been years in the making. Although the battle nearly cost them their lives, it also mended the broken bonds of Team Seven. Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi were finally reunited, but the joy was short-lived. After being pardoned for his betrayal, Uchiha Sasuke left Konoha to travel the world, leaving his teammates behind yet again. Although he left on good terms and promised that he would return, nobody knew when exactly that would be. And while Team Seven had made their peace with each other, the fact still remained that nobody really knew who Sasuke was; nobody knew what his goals and desires were. And that was something that even the Uchiha himself had yet to figure out.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke quickly and quietly made his way into the village of Konohagakure in the dead of night. He was keen to avoid human contact for as long as possible, merely because he had no interest in speaking to anyone. He had been reinstated as a member of the village before his departure over a year ago, but that did not mean that the village people would accept him back into their hearts so easily. And he knew for a fact that most of the shinobi community considered him to be a traitor; they didn't understand him like his old teammates did.

Swiftly leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Sasuke made his way towards the old Uchiha compound. After all this time, he somehow knew that it was time to return. For how long, he did not know. But he had to start somewhere. He leapt from a nearby roof down onto the ground in front of the main gates that bore the Uchiha crest. Remnants of yellow police tape hung limply from the iron bars, but there was nothing to stop the last surviving Uchiha from quietly sliding between the two doors and returning to the home where he grew up.

He wandered past the long-empty houses of his relatives until he came to his childhood home. The front door had been left unlocked, so he let himself inside and shut the door behind him. His eyes adjusted to the lack of moonlight, and he walked through the house as memories flooded his brain. Ever since he had found out the truth about Itachi, memories of his childhood no longer pained him in the way that they used to. Yes, it was painful to remember the events of the Uchiha massacre itself, but he no longer associated Itachi with coldhearted betrayal. He had come to understand Itachi in a way that he never thought possible, and although Uchiha Sasuke was not one to admit regret or remorse, he knew in his heart that he would always harbor some amount of guilt for killing Itachi.

Sasuke surveyed each empty room of his house and thought to himself, _What am I going to do with all of this space?_ Sasuke was not the type to share his living quarters with a roommate; he liked his solitude. But as he walked into his parents' bedroom, an idea came into his mind that he realized he had been trying very hard to ignore for quite some time.

* * *

Haruno Sakura arrived for her usual morning shift at Konoha hospital in a rather sour mood. Today was her double-shift day; she would be working from eight o'clock in the morning to twelve o'clock midnight. She knew that these double-shifts were often necessary to maintain a fully-staffed hospital, but sometimes she resented her own skillfulness that caused her to be such an asset to the establishment. Since Kakashi had taken Tsunade's place as Hokage, Tsunade herself had become the head of the hospital, with Sakura and Shizune as her second- and third-in-command; Sakura had long since surpassed Shizune in skill and stamina.

Sakura made her way down the hall to her office and unlocked the door, immediately dropping her bag of medical supplies onto the small futon that sat against the wall. She started to move toward her desk to sort through today's patient files when something caught her eye and she froze.

There, lying on her desk, was a single purple orchid. The delicate flower looked so out of place among the unorganized stacks of paper and yellow file folders. Sakura picked the flower up gently, curious as to where it came from. She didn't know of any secret admirers, and on the rare occasion that Naruto decided to bring her a gift as a friendly gesture, he was always very eager to give it to her himself and to proudly announce that he had picked it out all on his own. She also wondered how someone had managed to get the flower into her office if the only people who possessed keys to the room were herself and Tsunade.

Before she had any more time to ponder over the flower, a nurse was banging urgently on her office door:

"Sakura-san! The patient in 44D has gone missing!" the nurse shouted anxiously from the other side of the door.

Sakura sighed to herself, shaking her head as she grabbed her medical bag and ran out the door, leaving the flower all alone in her office once again.

* * *

"Sakura, are you sure you wouldn't like an escort? You've expended nearly all of your chakra; you look like you're about to faint." Shizune said concernedly as Sakura packed her medical bag and gathered various stacks of paperwork into her arms. It was half past midnight, and Sakura was getting ready to leave the hospital for the night. After finding the escaped patient from 44D, she had run into a slew of other crises, once after the other. If it wasn't a baby being born with the umbilical cord wrapped twice around its neck, it was a severely injured shinobi fighting for his life. Life at the hospital was never dull.

"No, I'll be alright, thank you. What kind of shinobi can't even walk themselves home at the end of a hard day's work?" Sakura said lightly, although her muscles ached from exhaustion and her eyelids felt quite heavy. She stifled a yawn behind her hand.

Shizune bit her lip, but held her tongue. She didn't want to irk Sakura, who had a stubborn independent streak. Ever since Sakura had promised herself as a genin that she would no longer be the one hiding behind her teammates, she was determined to take care of herself without the assistance of others. And if anyone hinted that she was incapable of doing so, they were met by her fierce temper.

Sakura surveyed her office, making sure that she had everything she needed before she went home. That's when she spotted the orchid on her desk; she had forgotten about it until now. She carefully picked it up and balanced it on top of her large stack of files before ushering Shizune out of her office and locking the door behind both of them. "I'm fine, I promise. I'll see you tomorrow for my next shift." Sakura said, trying to look more awake and alert than she felt. Shizune nodded and made her way down the hall toward her next patient.

Sakura walked out into the cool night air and inhaled deeply. She loved the way the air smelled at night when the world was asleep. The atmosphere was quiet and very still; she felt like she was in a world all her own.

Well, not _quite_ all her own. She detected someone's presence behind her in the dark, although she did not outwardly show the follower any recognition. She continued to walk as if she hadn't noticed a thing, but she knew the strange person was following her, albeit at a distance. She struggled to analyze the chakra signature, and her brow furrowed as she tried to focus her senses. She was very tired indeed, and although she had plenty of strength to walk herself home without an escort, she wasn't sure if she was ready to defend herself against an attack from an unknown foe.

Suddenly recognizing the chakra signature, she stopped in her tracks as her pulse quickened. She noticed that her follower had stopped, too. Without turning around, she composed herself and spoke directly to the man. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" she asked quietly, feeling a bit insulted. She sensed the stranger walking towards her now, although his footsteps were silent. The man stopped right behind Sakura, and she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. It gave her goosebumps, and she cracked a weary smile.

"Welcome back, Sasuke."

* * *

 **A/N: Even if you don't like leaving reviews, please add my story to your Story Alerts list so that I know you're interested in reading future chapters! Thank you!**


	2. Overcoming the Silence

Sasuke smirked in the moonlight. "You look exhausted." he said to the back of Sakura's head.

Sakura rolled her eyes, still refusing to turn around and face her former love interest. "You come back after all this time, and that's all you have to say to me?" She continued to walk towards her apartment, not knowing if he would follow her or disappear into the night.

He silently began to follow her. Together, they walked through town, passing dark houses full of sleeping families and bars full of drunken partygoers. Sakura tried to act uninterested in Sasuke's sudden appearance, but to be honest, she was dying to know what had brought him back to Konoha this time. She knew that a year wasn't nearly enough time for him to complete his exploration of the world; he must have had a reason for returning. Sasuke followed her up the stairs to the upper level of her apartment building, and he waited while Sakura unlocked her door and stepped inside, turning on the light in the hall as she did so. She laid her things on the hall table and turned around to finally face Sasuke.

But he was gone.

* * *

Sasuke's return to Konoha went largely unnoticed by the majority of the village. Sakura certainly hadn't told anyone about his mysterious behavior, mostly because she knew he was very likely to leave just as quickly as he had arrived. She didn't want to raise a fuss about nothing. But as the days went by, she began to wonder if Sasuke was here to stay. He had not said anything to Sakura since that first night, but she felt his presence every time she left the hospital late at night. He followed her home wordlessly, sometimes keeping his distance, and sometimes following her all the way up the stairs.

And every day, there was a new orchid on her desk. By the end of the week, she had seven beautiful purple flowers in a vase at home. It didn't take long for her to connect the dots and realize that Sasuke was the one giving her the orchids, but she still didn't understand why. Perhaps this was his way of apologizing for the past?

Another week passed. Fourteen orchids.

On the fifteenth night, Sakura left the hospital a little past midnight, carefully balancing her usual stack of paperwork (with a single orchid on top, of course). She barely had time to register Sasuke's presence before he had silently taken the stack of files from her arms, being quite careful not to upset the orchid.

The gesture made Sakura smile. This was proof that for reasons known only to the Uchiha himself, Sasuke was purposely going out of his way to be kind to Sakura. His act of following her every night was to make sure that she made it home safely, not because he was stalking her or needed something from her.

When they reached Sakura's apartment, she opened the door and walked inside, expecting Sasuke to follow her. However, when she turned around, her pile of paperwork was sitting neatly on her doorstep, and the man was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"I just don't understand." Sakura lamented to her former sensei one day in his office – the office of the Hokage.

Kakashi had his nose in one of his favorite romance novels, but Sakura knew he was listening. She knew that Kakashi was probably one of the only other people in the village who had noticed that Sasuke was back, so she had come to him to vent her frustration.

"I mean, he shows up out of nowhere, follows me home every night, hardly says anything to me, and he always disappears. Right when I think he's going to finally speak to me or at least come inside my home, he's gone! It's almost like he's acting shy…" Sakura pondered out loud. But she knew better than to think that a dignified person such as Sasuke would be _shy_.

"Awkward, perhaps." Kakashi said thoughtfully. "Our dear Sasuke is a bit socially awkward." he said with a masked smirk.

Sakura thought about it, and it made a little bit of sense. But she still had one question. "Why does he have to be awkward around _me_? Why can't he go be awkward and confusing around somebody else? You'd think that aside from you and Naruto, I'm one of the only people he shouldn't have to be awkward around." she said with a hint of irritation. When she was younger, Sasuke's fleeting behavior would have enticed her and made her swoon. But now, as a grown woman who had moved on from her childish feelings, it was beginning to irritate her.

"I think the problem is that Sasuke is trying to apologize for years of pain that he caused you, but he's too prideful to show up on your doorstep with a bouquet of flowers and say 'I'm sorry'. So he's taking baby steps. Give the man some credit." Kakashi suggested.

Sakura frowned, trying to imagine Sasuke ever needing to take _baby steps_ to do anything besides actually learn how to walk as a toddler.

"Let me know if his behavior changes, and I'll keep an eye on him from my end until he reveals his motives. He's got to have a reason for being here; he'll tell us all eventually." Kakashi reasoned. "Meanwhile, keep this a secret from Naruto. Sasuke obviously has his reasons for not revealing himself to his best friend, so we should respect that decision."

Sakura nodded and thanked Kakashi for his listening ear and helpful advice before she left his office and closed the door behind her.

"She's losing her patience, you know." Kakashi said quietly.

Sasuke appeared, crouching on the window ledge. He had been eavesdropping the entire time. "'Socially awkward'? 'Baby steps'? You're killing me, Kakashi." Sasuke said monotonously, leaning against the window frame and looking out at the mountain with the Hokage face carvings.

"That's what you get for not being honest with her yourself."

Sasuke did not look the Hokage in the eye. "I'm not sure what you mean. There's nothing for me to say to her."

"You could start by explaining why you follow her home every night. You could explain why you send her a flower every day. You could explain your feelings for her."

Sasuke glared sharply at his former sensei. "I don't have feelings for her. Not in any way different from how I feel about Naruto. We're teammates. I want to make sure she's getting home safely every night, that's all. I check up on Naruto, too. But even he's not stupid enough to drain his chakra every night to the point of almost passing out on his way home." he said defensively. "And if Sakura didn't have such strong chakra senses, she wouldn't even know I was around. I didn't intend for her to realize what I was doing; Naruto still hasn't."

"That's quite a defensive explanation for something that you seem to think is so simple." Kakashi noted slyly.

Sasuke scowled and looked away. "I just wanted to make sure we were clear on the subject." he muttered.

"That still doesn't explain the flowers."

And with that, Sasuke disappeared, leaving Kakashi smiling to himself for reasons that had nothing to do with the book in his hand.

* * *

That night, Sasuke was at odds with himself while he made his way toward the hospital to escort Sakura home. He wasn't very good at voicing his feelings, but he knew that Kakashi was right, and Sakura would be losing her patience with him soon if he didn't say _something_. For the past few nights, he had continued to carry her things for her, and he always laid them neatly on her doorstep before disappearing into the night before she could invite him inside. Truth be told, he wasn't sure what he would do if he was invited inside. Casual conversation skills weren't exactly something that he excelled at, no matter who he was with. But he had to admit that if he was going to talk to somebody, it might as well be Sakura. He had to start somewhere, right?

Sakura exited the building and Sasuke quickly made his way toward her, taking her workload from her arms. This time, however, he noticed that something was missing from her usual pile of things. Her daily orchid was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the flower?" he asked bluntly, trying to act casual and uninterested.

Startled by his sudden speech, Sakura smiled. "I knew it was you."

Sasuke ignored her. "Where is it?" he repeated.

"I brought a vase to my office and left it there for the night. My apartment is now full of flowers; I want to keep some in my office, too." she explained.

Sasuke nodded, continuing to look straight ahead as they walked through town.

Upon reaching Sakura's apartment, she opened the door and turned around, expecting to see a neat stack of papers on the ground. This time, however, Sasuke remained on her doorstep, avoiding her gaze.

 _Wow, this is progress_ , Sakura thought to herself. She cleared her throat and nodded toward the table in the entrance hall. "You can put those there, if you'd like." she said nonchalantly, walking into her home. She noticed that Sasuke followed her inside and indeed set her things on the table. Then he just stood there with his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to say something else.

"Would you like some tea?" Sakura asked, walking into her kitchen.

"No."

Sakura tried not to frown. "Do you need something from me?"

"No."

"Do you want to talk about something, perhaps?"

"No." Sasuke replied for the third time, staring at the floor.

A few moments of silence stretched between them before Sakura spoke again.

"Sasuke, why are you here?" she asked gently. Her tone did not demand an answer; rather, it implied that Sasuke himself needed to figure out what the answer was.

Sasuke went from staring at the floor to staring at the wall in front of him, his thoughts hard at work.

 _That's odd_ , Sakura thought, _He's never had problems with eye contact before._ Sakura shivered slightly at she recalled the numerous times that the Uchiha had given her icy glares of anger or frustration in their genin days. No, Sasuke had never been one to shy away from eye contact.

Finally, Sasuke seemed to make up his mind to speak. "I don't need anything." He began quietly, still staring blankly at anything except Sakura herself. "And I don't want to talk." He seemed to be struggling with something internally. "I just want…to be here."

If Sakura wasn't mistaken, this was Sasuke's way of admitting that he was lonely and wanted some company. She couldn't say she was entirely surprised; after the massacre of his family, all those years in hiding with Orochimaru, and then a year of solo travels, it was to be expected that Sasuke would finally admit to himself that he wasn't exactly fond of complete solitude. He may be introverted, but even introverts appreciate low-key companionship.

She smiled kindly, walking past Sasuke and toward her bedroom. "Well then please, make yourself at home while I take a quick shower. I'm covered in other people's bodily fluids, and I'd like to be clean before I go to bed."

Sakura took her time in the shower, enjoying the hot water as it washed away the stress from the day. She vaguely wondered if Sasuke would still be standing awkwardly in her entrance hall when she was finished, or if he would accept her invitation to make himself comfortable elsewhere in her home. She shrugged; she couldn't very well force him to sit on the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table, now could she?

She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel in preparation to enter her cold bedroom in search of pajamas. She opened the door, squeezing some of the water from her hair as she noticed that Sasuke was sitting on her bed rather stiffly. She froze, becoming very aware of how naked she was underneath her towel. However, she was an adult, and was therefore above such childish things as being embarrassed to be caught in her towel. _It's no different than a very short dress_ , she thought to herself as she recomposed her face and confidently walked toward her dresser to retrieve some clothing.

"When I said to make yourself at home, I hadn't expected this." Sakura teased, grabbing a red pair of pajama shorts and a black tank top from her pajama drawer.

Sasuke scowled, deliberately staring at the wall again. "Would you like me to leave?" he asked with a hint of irritation (and possibly embarrassment).

Sakura shook her head, water droplets flying from her hair. "No, not at all. I'll be right back." she said, walking back into her bathroom to get dressed. When she reemerged, she found Sasuke in the same position, sitting very stoically on her bed and staring at the wall. Sakura turned on her bedside table lamp and joined him on the bed, sitting cross-legged and looking up at Sasuke curiously.

"You know, you can relax a little bit around me. You don't have to act so serious." she reminded him, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Sasuke flinched ever so slightly at her sudden touch, but then he relaxed. "I know."

"Good, because friends don't sit so stiffly like that on each other's beds." she explained, scooting back towards her pillows and dropping onto her back with a soft _thump_. She patted the pillow next to her, inviting Sasuke to join her.

After a moment of brief hesitation, Sasuke scooted back towards the headboard, but remained in a sitting position as he leaned against the pillows. Sakura yawned beside him, and he could see her eyelids beginning to flutter as she tried to fight off sleep.

"Go to sleep. You're exhausted." he said bluntly.

Sakura looked up at him curiously. "But that's not a very polite thing to do when I have company."

"Don't worry about me." he told her, reaching across her and turning off her lamp. The room became bathed in darkness. "Go to sleep."

Sakura knew better than to argue, so she crawled under her sheets and laid on her side, watching Sasuke in the moonlight that streamed in from her window. "If you say so." Within ten minutes, she was fast asleep, her chest moving up and down rhythmically with her breathing.

Once he knew she was asleep, Sasuke shifted so that he was able to watch Sakura as he leaned against the headboard of her bed. He watched her with a soft intensity in his eyes. Indeed, he had not come into her house to engage in conversation. He did not mind one bit as the young woman beside him drifted off into the land of dreams. In spite of himself, he smiled. She looked so peaceful, and that peacefulness was contagious. Sasuke began to relax, and he closed his eyes for just a minute, enjoying this long-forgotten feeling of contentment.

When Sakura awoke the next morning, the place beside her was still warm, but empty.

* * *

 **A/N: After returning to Konoha, I imagine Sasuke wanting to make up for lost time with his teammates without really knowing how to do that. I quite enjoy writing about an awkward Sasuke who doesn't know how to handle spending time with people.**


	3. Here to Stay

After Sasuke dropped off Sakura's daily orchid at the hospital early that morning, he went back to the Uchiha compound with a renewed sense of purpose. After a successful interaction with Sakura (well, successful in his mind, anyway), his desires had been confirmed: he wanted her. In what way, he was still unsure. But he now felt very sure of the fact that Sakura was what had drawn him back to Konoha more so than his other teammates. He wouldn't exactly say that he harbored romantic feelings for the kunoichi, but rather a sense of responsibility for her. He wanted to ensure that she was safe and taken care of at all times. He felt like he owed it to her. He wanted to give her whatever she needed.

What he didn't realize was that Sakura might also give him what he needed before he was even aware of it himself.

* * *

"Did you hear? Uchiha Sasuke is back!" a woman whispered to her friend in the hospital lobby.

"I heard! Apparently he's still quite handsome, too." the friend quipped back, smiling dreamily.

Sakura's interest had been piqued as soon as she heard Sasuke's name. She was temporarily filling in for the hospital receptionist behind the large welcome desk in the lobby. She was bent over, writing notes to herself about her latest training with Tsunade; the women could not see her, nor did they even suspect she was there.

"What's he doing back here anyway?" a third woman asked, walking through the lobby and joining into the conversation.

"No one really knows for sure, but I heard he's done nothing but shop for furniture since he's been back! He's been at the marketplace since early this morning, ordering people to take tables and couches and a brand new king-sized bed back to the Uchiha manor. He must be moving back home for good!"

Sakura's brow furrowed momentarily. Obviously these women were under the impression that Sasuke had just returned today, not nearly a month ago. And since gossip traveled so quickly, it seemed that Sasuke had finally decided to make his presence known to the village by participating in a common practice such as furniture shopping. But it was odd to think about Sasuke filling his old home with all sorts of brand new furniture simply for himself. He wasn't the type of person who needed the creature comforts of a fully furnished home, but Sakura also wondered just how lonely that house felt when it was completely devoid of personal possessions.

After a few musings about how heavenly it would be to share a bed with Uchiha Sasuke, the women dispersed, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts and her work.

But she wasn't alone for long.

An orange figure burst through the front doors of the hospital, and Sakura immediately recognized the person as none other than Uzumaki Naruto. He looked very upset about something; his eyes were about to pop out of his head.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" he hollered down the main hall, searching for the kunoichi.

Sakura jumped up from behind the desk, a threatening fist already in the air. "Will you shut up?! This is a hospital! You cannot just come in here and start shouting, Naruto!" she hissed in irritation.

Naruto's face lit up when he spotted his friend. "Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed again, running over and throwing both of his hands down upon the desk. "Did you hear? Sasuke is back! He's back in Konoha! He's really here!" Naruto said emphatically, unsure why Sakura wasn't quite comprehending the magnitude of the situation.

"Of course he is, you idiot! He's been back for weeks! Now stop disturbing me while I'm at work."

Naruto's eyes widened with shock. "What?! You already knew about this? Why does everybody know except me? Kakashi knew, you knew…why couldn't he have come and said hi to me? What, am I not important to him anymore? After everything we've been through?" he asked, about to explode with a cornucopia of emotions.

Sakura had to hide a smirk as she shook her head at her rambunctious teammate. "Maybe this is why he didn't tell you. He knew you'd stir up a ruckus just like you're doing now. Haven't you figured out that Sasuke is very private? I'm sure he doesn't want you blabbing his business all over Konoha."

Naruto thought about that for a second, and he knew that she made a good point. But he was still mad. "I don't care, I'm going to hunt him down and ask him what the hell is going on!" Naruto said, raising a fist in the air in determination.

"Whatever, just keep your voice down or I'm sure he'll kick your ass." Sakura reminded him sweetly, waving goodbye to him as she left the lobby and went to make her usual rounds.

* * *

Naruto found Sasuke at his house in the Uchiha district, directing various store employees where to place the new furniture and housewares inside his home. He was cool and collected; he had already mentally planned out where everything would go before he set out to make his luxurious purchases. By the end of the day, the house would be completely furnished, as was his goal.

"Sasuke! What the hell are you doing?!" Naruto asked angrily, skidding across the gravel path and coming to a halt directly in front of the Uchiha.

"Moving in." Sasuke answered shortly.

"Moving in? What? No! I mean, what are you doing back in Konoha?!"

Sasuke smirked and repeated his answer. "Like I said: I'm moving in."

"For good? Like you're staying in Konoha this time?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Sasuke would not and could not answer that question; he didn't know the answer, and even if he did, he wasn't sure if saying it aloud would be a smart idea, because once something was said, it could never be taken back. So he merely walked inside to check on the progress of his latest endeavor.

"Hey! Don't walk away from me, I'm still mad at you for not telling me that you were back!" Naruto hollered, chasing after him.

Once Naruto had gotten all of his energy out of his system (and Sasuke had been exceedingly patient while he did so), he resigned to helping Sasuke "move in". Naruto was amazed at the quantity of things that Sasuke had purchased: couches, futons, side tables, coffee tables, a kitchen table, pots and pans, brand new kitchen appliances, light fixtures, towels and linens – the list went on and on. Sasuke indeed seemed to be making a long-term commitment to his parents' house, even if he wasn't willing to admit it.

"Just curious, why do you need _all_ of this stuff if it's just going to be you here all by yourself?" Naruto personally preferred to keep his small apartment sparsely furnished and simply decorated (but that didn't necessarily mean he kept it _clean_ ). It just didn't make sense to waste money on a bunch of things that he just didn't need when that money could be going towards Ichiraku ramen.

Sasuke outwardly shrugged, but secretly thought to himself, _Hopefully I won't be by myself for long_.

* * *

That night, Sasuke met Sakura on her way home as usual. She had gotten off early due to a lack of emergencies or new patients, so it was only about nine o'clock, and she wasn't nearly as exhausted as she normally was. In fact, she was wide awake and excited to see Sasuke as he strolled up the path.

"Good evening, Sasuke." she said cheerfully as he surveyed her arms for something he could carry. But tonight, she had nothing. "I'm off tomorrow, so there was no need to haul anything home with me tonight." Sakura said happily. "Looks like you got off easy!"

Sasuke smirked. "Hn."

They walked through town as usual before they came to a fork in the road where they would normally turn right to go to Sakura's apartment. But tonight, Sasuke nudged Sakura to the left with his shoulder.

Without any words, Sakura followed his lead and the proceeded down the road that she couldn't recall ever having used before. As they walked, she realized that the area was a lot less populated than the main part of town, even at night. Sasuke led her down to the end of the street where two wrought-iron gates stood wide open, welcoming anyone to come inside the compound. Sakura gasped quietly when she saw the Uchiha crest on the gates.

"Sasuke," she said quietly. "Is this your…?"

"Hn." he confirmed, continuing to lead the way through the gates and toward his home.

Sakura followed quietly, feeling a bit ill at ease with the place. In her mind, this district only existed in horror stories her parents and teachers told her. She knew how many people had been slaughtered in the streets and in their own homes. She knew Sasuke had come home to see his dead parents in his house somewhere. She knew Sasuke's brother was the one who had committed the atrocious act. She'd never heard any of these things from Sasuke himself, of course. She'd also never heard of anyone ever being invited into the compound. She saw the remnants of police tape lingering on the doorways of each house that they passed, and she shivered.

"You're uncomfortable." Sasuke observed, and there was a hint of displeasure to his tone.

Sakura looked up at him and quickly shook her head, trying to shake off her nerves. "No, no! Not at all! I've just…never been here before." she finished lamely.

Sasuke stopped suddenly in front of one of the larger houses, deciding whether or not he should follow through with his plan. With his back to Sakura, he faced the front door of his home. "You don't have to come inside," he said, hesitating; unsure how to convey the fact that he really wished she _would_ come inside.

Sakura pulled herself together. _Where are my manners?_ _Uchiha Sasuke is inviting me into one of the most private parts of his life after all these years, and I'm being rude!_ "I'd love to come inside." she said genuinely.

Sasuke shrugged and led her up the porch steps and through the front door. Sasuke flipped a light switch – it seemed that he had had all of the utilities turned back on – and Sakura was able to take in the grand foyer and sitting area. Sasuke's house was rather spacious, with an open floor plan. The main rooms such as the living room and kitchen flowed together seamlessly, while the bedrooms and bathrooms branched off all around the house. She quite liked it. It was much nicer than her tiny one-bedroom apartment.

"Sasuke, this is wonderful." she breathed.

Sasuke walked into the sitting area and sat down on a black leather couch, kicking off his shoes and propping his feet up on his brand new coffee table. "It's a lot better with furniture." he admitted. "You can walk around if you want. I don't care." Sasuke said offhandedly.

But Sakura somehow knew that he was actually inviting her to explore his home, and in return, to give him her opinion of his new furnishings. _I think he wants my approval_ , she thought. She obliged, removing her shoes as she made her way toward the kitchen. After the kitchen, she peeked in all three guest bedrooms and what appeared to be an old weapons room. She found the laundry room and the home office. Then, at the very end of the hallway, she found the master bedroom.

The first thing that caught her eye was the enormous bed that occupied the center of the room. It was covered in large, plush pillows and a very soft-looking duvet. There was a nightstand with a table lamp on each side, and there were two dressers on opposite sides of the room. There was a large walk-in closet at one end, and the master bathroom was on the other end. Sakura walked into the bathroom and was impressed by the spacious shower (with two shower heads) and the large Jacuzzi tub that could certainly fit two people with plenty of space leftover. The large mirror over the double sinks was quite grand, reflecting the entire bathroom.

"What do you think?"

Sakura jumped, startled by Sasuke's sudden appearance over her shoulder. "How long have you been there?" she asked, rather flustered.

"Sorry." he mumbled. Then, on a different note, "All of this used to be my parents'." he said to no one in particular. "And now it's all mine." he finished quietly, exiting the bathroom.

Sakura heard a small bit of sadness in his voice, so she followed him, eager for him to share more with her. It made her feel good to be his confidant, and she longed to know everything that there was to know about the life of Uchiha Sasuke. The fact that he was still a mystery to her after all these years was fascinating to her.

"Does being back here…make you think about them?" she asked carefully.

Sasuke nodded, standing in the middle of the room and looking around him, taking in the room and all that it now contained. "I thought that new furniture would make it better." he said more to himself than to Sakura. "But it still feels empty." He sat down on the bed.

Sakura sat down beside him, trying to find the right words to offer him comfort without making him think that she was feeling sorry for him; she knew he would not appreciate that. She didn't know what to say, so she slowly reached out and grasped his hand in hers, laying them both on his lap.

Sasuke stiffened at the gesture, but after a minute or so, his shoulders fell and relaxed.

"There we go," Sakura said softly.

Sasuke looked over at her, and she couldn't quite read his expression. He seemed to be struggling internally with something. He gazed at her for several minutes, never once taking his eyes off of hers. Sakura returned his gaze softly but steadily, wanting him to know that she was ready to listen if he wanted to say something.

But after another minute, Sasuke cleared his throat, quickly pulled his hand out of Sakura's, and stood up from the bed, looking a little disconcerted. "Shower." he said abruptly, leaving a confused Sakura behind as he went into the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind him.

 _He was about to say something, I just know it. Maybe it was about his family? Could it have been about me?_ Sakura wondered vaguely. She scooted herself further back onto Sasuke's bed; she'd show him how someone makes themselves at home! The pillows felt like clouds beneath her, and she sunk back into them, sighing with contentment. She heard Sasuke run the water and remembered the twin shower heads. _I wonder if he'll use them both_ , she giggled to herself. She laid there on his bed, happy as a clam, until the water stopped and she heard him step out of the shower. She tried very hard to keep her thoughts from wandering in the direction of a naked, wet Sasuke, fresh out of the shower with messy, towel-dried hair.

However, it was hard not to think about such things when they were right in front of you. Sasuke had opened the door, and with a white towel wrapped around his waist, casually walked across his bedroom to get himself some clothes.

Sakura averted her gaze, blushing. _Stop acting like a child – this is no different than what you did last night!_ she told herself. _However,_ she reasoned, _I had no idea that Sasuke would be waiting for me in my room. But Sasuke was very aware that I would be waiting on his bed._ She continued to look away as he walked back into the bathroom to get dressed. When he shut the door, she sighed to herself longingly. She may not still be madly in love with the Uchiha, but she sure could recognize a handsome man when she saw one. Sasuke was the very definition of handsome, and he always had been.

Sasuke reemerged from the bathroom in a black, sleeveless undershirt and white shorts. The shirt showed off his arm muscles and his broad chest, and Sakura chided herself for noticing such details. She felt the need to look away again, and that's when her eyes found the clock on the wall. It was nearly ten-thirty at night, and she did not want to overstay her welcome. Sasuke was probably tired from the day's events.

"It's getting late, I'm sure you want to get some sleep soon." She rose from the bed and made her way towards the bedroom door. "Thank you so much for giving me a tour of your home." When her hand reached out to turn the doorknob, Sasuke intervened by grabbing her by the wrist. Sakura looked up at him, shocked.

"Stay." It was not a demand, but a request.

Sakura laughed nervously. "You want me to stay? Like, for the night?" she asked, wanting clarification. She'd never spent the night in a man's home before, although she'd slept alongside Sasuke and Naruto during their past missions as genin. The thought definitely made her nervous.

"Yes." Sasuke said firmly, looking into her eyes.

Sakura swallowed hard. "But, I don't have any clothes…"

"You can borrow mine."

Sakura blushed for the second time that night, thinking about wearing Sasuke's clothes.

"I'm all dirty from the hospital, I'd hate to get your clothes dirty, too." she said, trying to be polite.

"Take a shower." Sasuke replied.

Sakura bit her lip, really unsure of what to do next without being rude. _Quit making excuses. He's your friend and he's reaching out to you. He needs you,_ she thought to herself.

Sasuke seemed to guess that she was unsure of what to do next, so he dragged her by her wrist into the bathroom. He released her arm and opened the cabinet under one of the sinks, retrieving a white towel like the one he had used. He shoved it into her arms and reached under the sink again, pulling out a brand new bottle of women's shampoo. "There." he said, confident that he had won the battle. "Take your time." he told her as he exited the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Sakura let herself lean against the countertop for support as she exhaled. She wasn't even going to ask why he already had a bottle of shampoo ready for her, and that's when it dawned on her that Sasuke had planned this all out from the beginning of the night. _He might be a bit socially awkward, but he sure can be smooth when he wants to be,_ she thought, shaking her head in amusement as she stepped into the shower.

* * *

 **A/N: Sasuke is starting to realize that he can't keep going through life alone – he needs some companionship! I've always imagined Sasuke to be awkward at conversation, but very direct with his actions. So even if he can't talk to Sakura about his feelings, he has no problem telling her what to do. Please add me to your Story Alerts and review! Thank you!**


	4. No Longer Alone

It did not occur to Sakura until she stepped out of the shower that Sasuke had forgotten to give her some of his clothes to wear. _Did he forget, or did he do this on purpose?_ She smirked, wrapped her towel tightly around herself, and poked her head out the door, expecting to see Sasuke waiting for her on the bed as she had done for him. But he wasn't in the bedroom at all. Slightly relieved, Sakura quietly tiptoed out of the bathroom and went to his dresser to find some clothes. She hadn't been paying attention when Sasuke had retrieved his own clothes earlier, so she started pulling open every drawer in search of something to wear.

"Want some help?" Sasuke asked from over her shoulder.

Sakura jumped, clutching her towel closely to her body. "Sasuke! Stop scaring me like that!" Once again, she hadn't even heard him walk up behind her. "And I'm not decent." she muttered, once again very aware of how naked she was underneath her towel.

Sasuke reached past her and opened the middle drawer, pulling out a large black shirt. He then reached into the second drawer from the bottom and pulled out a pair of black silk boxer shorts. "Here, take these." he said as he handed them to Sakura. He then turned away and walked out of the room again.

Sakura went back into the bathroom and tried on Sasuke's clothing. The T-shirt was so long on her petite frame that it hung down to the midpoint of her thighs. She stepped into the boxer shorts (feeling a little uncomfortable without real underwear), and observed herself in the mirror. She looked like she was being eaten alive by a large tent, but at least all of her important bits were covered. With a final tousle of her wet hair, she took a deep breath and walked back out into the main part of the house.

She wandered towards the kitchen and found Sasuke leaning against the counter drinking a glass of water. Sakura could have sworn that she saw the ghost of a smile cross his lips for a brief moment when he saw her in his clothes.

"Thirsty?" he asked suddenly, holding out the glass.

Sakura took the glass carefully, a bit surprised at his willingness to share. "A little bit, I guess." she admitted, taking a few sips before handing it back to him.

Sasuke took another sip and peered over the edge of the glass. His eyes took in the sight of Sakura in his clothes, and although they were not flattering to her figure, he liked the way that she looked. It must have been his male dominance that gave him a feeling of satisfaction to see her dressed in something of his.

"Sasuke? Is everything okay?" Sakura asked when she noticed that Sasuke was staring at her. She suddenly became aware of the fact that she had forgotten her bra in the bathroom, so she crossed her arms self-consciously.

Sasuke looked away quickly, finishing his water and placing the glass in the sink. "Hn." he grunted, a very pale blush tinting his cheeks as he swept out of the kitchen.

Sakura trailed behind him. _Was he checking me out?_ she wondered. _No way. Not possible._

Sasuke made his way back into the bedroom and began to pull all of the decorative pillows from his bed. He threw them haphazardly into the floor, and Sakura clicked her tongue at him as she arranged them neatly against the wall. Once he made his way to the normal pillows, Sasuke pulled back the blankets and slipped under the sheets. He leaned back against his headboard with his hands clasped behind his head in a relaxed position. He nodded to Sakura, indicating that she should join him.

Sakura pulled back her side of the covers and crawled into bed next to him (keeping an appropriate distance, of course). She laid down on her side, watching Sasuke as he closed his eyes and sighed a quiet sigh of contentment. She smiled; she couldn't remember the last time Sasuke had looked so at ease with his surroundings.

"You like being home, don't you?" she asked him softly.

Sasuke opened one eye to survey the pink-haired kunoichi from his peripheral vision. "Something like that." He'd never admit to her that it wasn't his _house_ that made him feel so at peace – it was _her_. Her presence was intoxicating to him. After all this time, he had finally come to appreciate Sakura's companionship.

Sakura steeled herself to ask another, more important, question. "Why did you ask me to stay the night?"

The question hung in the air between them. Sasuke closed his open eye, avoiding all eye contact in response to her question. Sakura waited patiently as he decided how exactly to word his answer.

Finally, he sighed wearily. "Sakura," he began with his eyes still closed. "I've been alone for a very long time."

That was the extent of his answer, but it was enough for Sakura. She couldn't expect him to start spilling all of his feelings in one night. She was actually surprised that he'd spoken as much as he did today. She finally felt like Sasuke was beginning to trust her as a friend for the first time.

Sasuke turned off the light on his bedside table, although he remained sitting upright. Sakura took this as her cue to roll over and face the wall, preparing herself for sleep. She closed her eyes and thought about how wonderful it was going to be to sleep in tomorrow and have the whole day to herself. It wasn't very often that Sakura got a whole day off; she was usually called in to cover someone else's shift. As she began to doze, she felt Sasuke shift his position and lay down behind her.

Sasuke's eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he watched Sakura's back as her breathing began to become more rhythmic. He guessed that she was nearly (if not already) asleep. "Thank you, Sakura." he said under his breath, closing his eyes.

Sakura thought she had dreamt it.

* * *

Sakura woke suddenly in the middle of the night. For a second, she had no idea where she was, and she panicked. But then she remembered the events from earlier and relaxed as she looked around the room, trying to find what had woken her from a peaceful sleep. She immediately noticed that Sasuke was not in the bed, and the light was on in the bathroom. She assumed that he was taking care of his personal business and was about to try and go back to sleep when she heard a violent retching sound.

 _Oh dear,_ she thought concernedly. She wasn't sure if she should get out of bed and offer to help him in some way, or if she should feign sleep and pretend that she hadn't noticed. She had a feeling that the Uchiha would not be pleased if he knew she had caught him in a moment of vulnerability. She quickly decided on the latter and rolled over again as the bathroom light went out and the door opened.

Sasuke returned to bed, but he did not lie down. He remained in a sitting position with his arms loosely wrapped around his knees. He took a deep breath, trying to settle his stomach.

"I know you're awake."

Sakura flinched; she knew she had been caught, and there was no point in pretending anymore. "Are you okay?" she asked without moving.

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Sasuke?" Sakura sat up, concerned for his health. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm a medic, maybe I can–"

"No." Sasuke cut her off. "You can't help this."

Sakura took a good look at Sasuke's face in the moonlight that shone through the window. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, and there were bags under his eyes. He looked sickly and exhausted, but his dark eyes reflected a fierce determination to maintain his composure. Sakura took a moment to run various health-related scenarios through her head. Food poisoning? Stress-induced insomnia? Migraine?

"I have nightmares, ok?" Sasuke admitted tersely, yanking the covers up to his chin and turning away from her in frustration.

Sakura gave him a few moments of silence before she spoke. "Do you want to talk about it?" She knew that he was a man of few words, but she still felt the need to offer.

"Not with you." Sasuke said sharply.

"Oh, alright." Sakura said with a bit of hurt in her voice. _Well that was rude, I was only trying to help._ she thought in irritation.

Sasuke seemed to realize his mistake. "That's not what I meant," He sat up again, propping his elbows on his knees and weaving his fingers in his hair in a frustrated manner.

"Then what _did_ you mean?" Sakura asked shortly.

Sasuke growled to himself, clearly struggling with his thoughts. He was not good at sharing his feelings, and Sakura knew that. "Nothing. Go back to sleep."

* * *

Sasuke was impatiently waiting for the flower shop to open, looking through the windows to see if anyone was there. At 8:59, Yamanaka Ino unlocked the front door with a smile and ushered Sasuke inside excitedly.

"Sasuke-kun! What a pleasant surprise! I'm so glad you remembered where I work." Ino said, twirling her blonde hair around her finger as she smiled sweetly at Sasuke. "I have to say, when I heard you were back—"

"I need a bouquet." Sasuke interrupted.

Ino tried not to take offense at his sudden interruption. "Oh! You're here for flowers? Silly me." Ino laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"I thought this was a flower shop. What else would I be here for?" Sasuke asked in a monotone, trying very hard to be patient with the former fangirl.

Ino composed herself, clearing her throat. "Um, yes, it is. What kind of bouquet do you need?" she asked, trying not to sound disappointed at Sasuke's lack of interest in anything else that she had to say.

"Red and white."

Ino smirked. "You know, Sasuke, there are many types of red and white flowers. You'll have to be more specific. Or, you could tell me what the occasion is, and I'll pick the flowers that work best." she explained, eager to find out why Uchiha Sasuke suddenly needed flowers.

Sasuke sighed, avoiding Ino's gaze. "Give me flowers that'll say 'I'm sorry'." he mumbled.

Ino's eyes widened. "Who are you saying sorry to?" she blurted out. Sasuke's glare silenced her. "I mean, I'll be right back!" she said, quickly making her way into the greenhouse to fetch the flowers.

Sasuke scuffed his foot against the floor and waited with his hands in his pockets. He really wished that Ino would hurry up; Sakura could wake up at any time, and he wanted to deliver the flowers before she awoke. After what felt like half an hour (but was really only seven minutes), Ino returned with a bouquet of red and white roses. She placed them in a rectangular, clear glass vase and started to ring up the purchase on the cash register.

"Don't bother." Sasuke said, grabbing the vase and placing a wad of cash on the counter before swiftly exiting the flower shop. _That should be enough to cover all of the orchids I've been borrowing._ Sasuke smirked as he made his way home.

He quietly crept into his own house, listening intently to see if Sakura was awake. He heard nothing, so he carefully opened his bedroom door.

But she was already gone.

* * *

Sakura had left Sasuke's house with mixed emotions. On one hand, she was irritated with him for being so cryptic all the damn time. _You'd think that after someone invited you into their home and asked you to spend the night, they could be honest and tell you what's wrong with them after they're been throwing up all night._ Sakura thought bitterly. On the other hand, she knew how Sasuke was: moody, mysterious, and private, with no social skills whatsoever. Despite all of these things, Sasuke had spent the last month trying to be kind to Sakura, and last night was the climax of his efforts. _I can't believe I spent the night in Uchiha Sasuke's house – in his bed – with him!_ Sakura's inner fangirl squealed.

She smiled to herself and decided not to hold a grudge against the poor guy. But she _could_ get some playful revenge.

* * *

 **A/N: I want to take a moment to thank each and every one of my new followers and reviewers! Special shout-out to jssnlc, Waterlilly333, and guest user Cam for being my first three [positive] reviewers! I read every review and I value your input as my readers. My new goal is to get 5 new reviews and 5 new followers before I'll post the next chapter!**


	5. A Friend In Need

Sakura was on her way home from the grocery store that evening when her usual escort appeared at her side from the shadows. Sasuke took the brown paper bags from her arms easily, although Sakura noted that his left hand was bandaged rather sloppily. She chose not to say anything to him about it, although it lingered at the back of her mind. They walked to Sakura's apartment in silence, and Sakura put away her groceries while the stoic Uchiha leaned against the counter, absentmindedly rubbing his left hand.

"Well, that's the last of them." Sakura said, closing her refrigerator.

"What's next?" Sasuke asked.

"Well, I did my laundry this morning, I visited with my girlfriends at lunch, and I don't have any paperwork to do, so I think I'm done with everything that I wanted to get done today." Sakura said brightly.

Sasuke nodded. "So…" His eyes suddenly found the ceiling to be very interesting.

"Was there something you needed me for?" Sakura asked slyly. She knew very well that he didn't want anything specific from her – he still just wanted her company. But dammit, she wanted him to say it himself.

"I was wondering if you…" Sasuke scuffed his foot anxiously. "I mean, if you want to…"

"Yes, Sasuke?" Sakura asked pointedly.

Sasuke exhaled in frustration.

Sakura decided to cut him a break. "Are you wondering if I'll take a look at your hand for you?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped downward in confusion. "No, that's not really‒"

Sakura grabbed his uninjured hand and steered him into the bathroom. "Let me see." she said, gently removing his haphazard bandages.

"It's not that big of a deal." Sasuke grumbled.

Sakura withheld a gasp when she saw that Sasuke's palm was covered in numerous puncture wounds, and his fingers looked like they had been poked and sliced by a razor blade. There were tiny pieces of glass embedded in some of the wounds. "What on earth did you do?" she asked him, clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

"It's nothing, alright?" Sasuke snapped, yanking his hand back.

Sakura put her hands on her hips and gave him a reproachful look. "You're going to let me help you. That glass can't stay in there forever; it'll get infected." She searched under her bathroom cabinet for a pair of tweezers. "Now hold still." she ordered, carefully taking his hand in her own.

Sasuke glowered at her, but he stood there and allowed her to remove every piece of glass without flinching. She had a gentle touch, which he appreciated. While Sasuke had a high tolerance for pain, it wasn't exactly comfortable to have glass pulled from your fingers. He then watched with interest as Sakura gathered green chakra in her hand and laid it across his wounds. His hand felt warm and tingly, and when Sakura removed her hand, Sasuke had been completely healed. He was impressed. While he had heard that Sakura was a skilled medical ninja, he had never really seen her in action.

"There, that should do it. Be careful not to break open the new skin; it'll be tender for a few days. But I warded off any signs of infection, so you should have nothing to worry about."

Sasuke admired her handiwork, flexing his fingers. "Thank you, Sakura."

"Don't mention it." The medic smiled, putting away her tweezers. "Now what shall we do?"

Sasuke found the courage to finish his earlier thought. "We could go to my place." he suggested casually.

"And do what?" Sakura smirked. She was purposely making this slightly difficult for the man who had snapped at her last night.

"Um," Sasuke faltered.

"Let me guess: you just want my company?" Sakura teased.

Sasuke nodded.

"What if I think you're boring? I mean, we didn't really do anything fun last night." Sakura said, walking out of the bathroom. She headed towards her bedroom. "Maybe I'll just stay home." she taunted.

Sasuke followed her intently, wondering how he could convince her to come with him. He honestly didn't even know why he wanted her to come to his house again. He just knew that he felt better when she was around. However, he needn't worry for long, because he found the girl packing an overnight bag when he entered her bedroom. He smirked at her earlier antics.

"I thought you said I was boring," he drawled with amusement.

Sakura shrugged. "You are. But I'm the kind of person who helps a friend in need. And if you need me to stay with you, I'll stay."

Sasuke didn't quite know what to make of her behavior. "I don't _need_ you…" he said halfheartedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't. Uchiha Sasuke doesn't need _anyone_."

Sasuke scowled. He couldn't understand why she was acting like this, but he decided to ignore it.

Sakura zipped up her duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Let's go." she said cheerfully, grabbing Sasuke by the hand and leading him out of her apartment. She released his hand once they had descended the outdoor staircase, expecting him to lead the way to the Uchiha district.

Sasuke would never say it out loud, but he missed the warmth of her hand in his. He flexed his fingers anxiously as they walked.

"Is your hand bothering you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke quickly hid both of his hands in his pockets. "No." he answered shortly.

They walked together in comfortable silence, side by side, shoulder to shoulder. Occasionally, Sakura's swinging hand would brush against Sasuke's pants (whether accidentally or on purpose, he could not tell).

"Whoops," she would say playfully as she stepped away. But within minutes, she was right there next to him again, and her hand would casually brush his pocket.

It was driving him mad. His heart beat faster every time she touched him.

They arrived at the house and Sakura immediately asked to take a shower. She dropped her duffel bag on the bed and went to run the water. As she walked back out of the bathroom to grab some pajamas, something red in the trashcan caught her eye. She peered into the can and saw a bundle of red and white roses; they looked fairly fresh. She also saw a pile of broken glass at the bottom of the can with a bloody washcloth.

"Sasuke?" she called.

He politely knocked on the door twice before entering. "Hn?"

"What are these?" she asked, carefully pulling the roses from the trashcan, leaving the glass behind.

Sasuke's eyes widened for a brief moment, and his face turned the palest shade of pink. "Nothing." he said, walking out of the bathroom.

"Wait!" Sakura called, grabbing his hand as he exited. She pulled him back in. "Were these flowers in a vase? Is that where the glass in your hand came from?" she asked, trying to piece together the mystery.

"Hn." he confirmed, rather against his will. He looked away from her.

"I don't understand," she said, brow furrowed. "How did the vase break? And what were the flowers for?"

Sasuke huffed. "I got mad, ok? And they're for you." he growled, pulling his hand away and storming out.

Sakura knew better than to follow him. _He'll cool off in a little bit._ She gathered the flowers into a bouquet and laid them carefully on the counter. _I wonder why he got me flowers?_ she thought as she undressed and stepped into the shower. She was halfway through washing her hair when she realized that she hadn't ever grabbed her pajamas from her bag; the flowers had distracted her.

She shut off the shower, squeezed out the water out of her pink hair, and took another towel from under the sink as she had done the previous night. She cracked the door open a few inches and looked around. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen, but she was not going to be caught in her towel again.

"Sasuke?" she called, wondering if he was still angry with her. "I need to ask you for a favor."

Sasuke slowly came into the room, and while he did not seem to be in a particularly pleasant mood, he also did not look angry. "Hn?"

"Could you bring me my bag, please?"

Sasuke took her bag from the bed and carried it to her. He smirked when he saw that she was hiding behind the door. "Afraid I'll see you in your towel a third time?" he snickered.

Sakura opened the door wide enough to snatch her bag from his hand. "Are you disappointed?" Sakura teased.

Sasuke was taken aback, like a deer in headlights.

Sakura shut the door in his face so he wouldn't see her burst into a fit of silent giggles. _The poor guy doesn't understand friendly flirting between teammates! Naruto would've teased me back._ she thought to herself, shaking her head in amusement as she stepped into her pajama shorts and pulled her tank top over her head. _It's fun to mess with Sasuke_. _And that's payback for being so short-tempered._

Sakura found Sasuke in his room, removing his shirt, clearly preparing for his turn in the shower. He turned to look at Sakura when she came out of the bathroom, trying not to stare at him.

"Don't mind me," he said nonchalantly, dropping his pants to the floor and stepping out of them. He was wearing black boxer shorts similar to the ones he had given Sakura the night before. "I'm not shy."

Sakura's face flushed as Sasuke threw his clothes into the clothes hamper inside his closet. She refocused herself and carried her bag over to her side of the bed, laying it on the floor beside the nightstand. She heard the bathroom door shut behind Sasuke, and she leaned against the bed, fanning herself with her hand. _So he_ can _play the game,_ she thought mischievously.

That's when a thought suddenly occurred to her: Sasuke hadn't been _completely_ alone during his time with Orochimaru. There was a girl on his team; Sakura remembered her bright red hair. _I wonder if he's done this before…?_ she wondered vaguely, a frown appearing on her face. It was no concern of _hers_ who Uchiha Sasuke had fooled around with, but thinking about him with another woman gave Sakura a sour feeling in the pit of her stomach. _It's only because we're friends_ , she reasoned with herself. _I'm just protective of him, that's all._

"What's wrong with you?" Sasuke asked, emerging from his shower. He had his towel wrapped around his waist, and he was looking at Sakura curiously. He'd immediately noticed her furrowed brow and sour expression.

Sakura quickly composed herself, pushing aside her thoughts of the red-haired woman. "Nothing," she said offhandedly, eager to change the subject. "How's your hand?"

"Perfect." he said, pulling a new pair of boxers from his underwear drawer.

Sakura knew what was coming and shut her eyes tight as Sasuke dropped his towel to the floor and slipped into the shorts. She heard Sasuke chuckle to himself as he towel-dried his hair.

"You're awfully bold tonight." Sakura commented, opening her eyes and proceeding to roll them at her companion.

Sasuke threw his towel into the hamper and walked over to the bed, pulling off the multitude of pillows and sliding beneath the sheets. "I'm comfortable." he said simply, nodding to the space next to him in bed.

 _Comfortable?_ Sakura thought to herself, getting into bed as he had indicated. _That's actually very sweet of him to say._ "Well I'm glad," she said genuinely, giving him a small smile. "But are we going to bed already?"

Sasuke shrugged. "What else is there to do?"

"I don't know," Sakura shrugged, too. "I just don't feel like going to sleep."

"Then don't."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Are _you_ going to sleep?"

"No."

Sakura blinked. "Then what are you doing?"

"I'm not really sure." Sasuke said blandly, folding his arms behind his head.

 _He can be so cryptic._ Sakura thought to herself, feeling a little out of place sitting next to a shirtless Sasuke in bed with no intention of sleeping. She hugged her knees to her chest, steeling herself to ask him a personal question. "Have you ever been with a girl, Sasuke?"

Sasuke blanched. "I'm not sure what you mean." he mumbled slowly.

"Have you ever been with a girl?" Sakura repeated, knowing very well that he understood what she was trying to ask.

Sasuke stared blankly across the room. He knew that he should be honest with Sakura; wasn't he trying to get closer to her, after all? Wasn't that his reason for inviting her over? Hadn't he decided that the whole reason he returned to Konoha was to be with Sakura in some way? Surely he should be able to confide in the woman who made him feel most at ease.

"No." he said quietly; emotionlessly.

Sakura couldn't hide the surprised look that appeared on her face. "Really?" she asked, quickly regretting it as she saw Sasuke scowl at her.

He turned off the light, bathing them both in darkness.

Sakura backtracked. "What I meant by that is…" she began, trying to find the right words to lighten the mood. "You seem to – um – know how to lead a girl on…" she said, nudging him with her elbow playfully.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, but Sakura could make out a smug smile in the darkness. "You must be imagining things."

Sakura knew that she wasn't, but she did not argue the point. She changed the subject: "Sasuke, tell me about your nightmares." she ventured.

Sasuke went pale. "No."

"I want to understand. I want to help." Sakura said earnestly.

"I told you. I don't want to talk about it with you."

Sakura huffed, crossing her arms. "Why not? You can invite me to stay the night with you while you vomit in the bathroom, but you can't even be honest with me?

"Sakura," Sasuke growled in growing irritation.

"I just—"

Sasuke suddenly grabbed Sakura by the shoulders and pushed her down onto the pillows forcefully. He hovered above her, his eyes filled with a sense of weariness. Those eyes were filled with memories; he looked like he had aged ten years.

"Sakura," he began seriously and ever so quietly.

She listened intently, taken aback by his abrupt behavior.

"I've seen – and done – things that I never _ever_ want you to know about."

"But I can handle it." she said stubbornly. "I'm not the same girl you left lying on the bench. You can tell me anything. I'm not squeamish."

Sasuke shook his head at her, his bangs lightly brushing Sakura's forehead. "That's not why I won't tell you." He took a deep breath. "I don't want you to know the things that I did." he said softly. "You might not see me the same way." he murmured quietly, pulling away from her and laying down with a heavy sigh.

Sakura remained sitting for a few moments, processing what he'd said. Then she slowly lay down beside him, and they both stared at the ceiling.

"How can I help?" Sakura asked quietly.

Sasuke was silent for a long time. She almost thought that he had fallen asleep. Then he spoke: "I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out."

* * *

Sasuke awoke in the middle of the night, shaking violently as a cold sweat ran from his forehead into his eyebrows. He leapt from the bed and ran into the bathroom, vomiting as soon as he reached the toilet. _Dammit_ , he thought to himself angrily. _Now she's going to ask more questions._ As much as he appreciated Sakura's concern, he just didn't feel like discussing his nightmares with her. End of story. He vomited one more time, his abdominal muscles clenching painfully. _I hope she slept through it this time_. He rose, flushed the toilet, and went to the sink to rinse his mouth and splash cold water on his face.

When he returned to his bed, he was slightly disappointed to see that Sakura had indeed awoken. She looked at him with concern in her eyes as he got into bed, kicking the sheets down to the bottom; he was a sweaty mess, and the sheets made him feel restricted and confined.

"Go back to sleep." he grumbled, hoping to avoid conversation as he leaned back against the cool wooden headboard.

But Sakura didn't go back to sleep. Instead, she tentatively crawled over to Sasuke and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. It was an act of comfort, and Sasuke felt his shoulders relax and Sakura held onto him. She didn't say a word, and Sasuke appreciated that. He returned the gesture by placing his left arm around Sakura, pulling her closer to him.

 _This,_ Sasuke thought to himself as he felt Sakura fall back asleep with her head in his lap, her arms still wrapped around him. _This is how you can help_

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again, dear readers! Wow, you guys far exceeded my goals for the last chapter – so many reviews and new followers! Thank you so much for your interest in this story. I have the next few chapters already written, but I am going to stagger how often I post them. I am currently enrolled in a short session organic chemistry summer course. This means I have exactly 27 days to master an entire semester's worth of material (including lab experiments!), and I typically spend about 6 hours in class and 6 hours doing homework and lab write-ups every day. (I would love to hear about my readers' experiences with organic chemistry – I hate it with every fiber of my being.) Therefore, my writing time has been significantly diminished. So if you're worried that I've forgotten about the story, fear not, for I shall return in due time. Again, I read every single review, and I appreciate your thoughts.**


	6. Not Yet

"How long have you been sleeping with Sakura?" Kakashi asked with a masked smile when the Uchiha came to visit him in his office one day.

Sasuke groaned. "Don't say it like that."

"How else would you prefer for me to say it? That's what you're doing, isn't it? Sleeping?" Kakashi asked innocently. "Or is there something else you're not telling me?"

Sasuke gave Kakashi one of his trademark scowls.

Kakashi chuckled. "But moving on, I heard through the grapevine that you've furnished your estate with half of the city's furniture collection, _and_ you've been buying more flowers." the masked man noted.

Sasuke shrugged. "I wanted to make her happy."

"How exactly does furnishing _your_ house make _her_ happy?"

Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes.

"It sounds to me like you're nesting." Kakashi suggested slyly.

Sasuke frowned. "Nesting? No. My house was empty when I returned. I had to buy housewares."

"Convenient, I'll admit. But I know you. You could live with nothing but a tent and the clothes on your back. You bought all of that furniture to make Sakura feel more at home in your house. You wanted her to _want_ to be there with you."

"So what if I did? It worked, didn't it?" Sasuke said defensively.

Indeed, his plan had worked. Sakura had spent every night at his house with him for the past two weeks. Her morning commute to the hospital was a bit longer from the isolated Uchiha compound, but Sasuke had worked hard to make sure that his house provided Sakura with everything that she needed. He'd purchased a hairdryer, more female shower products, and some of her favorite foods once he had realized that she was toting entirely too many things to his house every night. He'd also offered to let her use his second dresser to store some of her own clothes, and he encouraged her to adjust things around the house as she saw fit.

And in response, Sakura had effortlessly settled into Sasuke's home as if it were her own. She began to refer to the right-hand nightstand beside the bed as "hers", and she now had a key to Sasuke's house on her key ring. She even kept her toothbrush at one of the bathroom sinks.

Kakashi smirked. _So that_ was _his intention; to appeal to Sakura_. "Do you still deny that you have feelings for her?" he asked quietly.

Sasuke continued to scowl, looking out the window of the Hokage office. "Don't ask me that."

Kakashi had known that getting the boy to admit his feelings for Sakura would be no easy task, so he waited patiently.

Sasuke began to voice his thoughts as they came to him. "I've never wanted to spend so much time with a certain person before. It feels…odd." He inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. "I thought I was just tired of being alone. But I've also tried to spend some time training with Naruto during the day while Sakura is working, and being with him doesn't give me the same feeling."

Kakashi nodded thoughtfully.

"It's like she…fills a void." Sasuke said. "I can't explain it. I just feel like my entire life, I've had a purpose. Go to school and make my father proud; catch up to Itachi; avenge my clan by killing Itachi," Sasuke said bitterly. "And then I would restore the clan."

Kakashi nodded again. "But you're not ready to do that yet, are you?" Kakashi asked, knowing the answer already.

"No." Sasuke agreed. "I'm not." He knew that rushing into the revival of his clan would not bode well for his future progeny. He needed to build a strong foundation for his future family. He needed to be emotionally and mentally capable of fatherhood and leadership, and he knew he was nowhere near that point. His ordeal with Orochimaru and the Fourth Great Ninja War had taken a toll on his spirit, and he was still picking up the pieces of himself that he left behind in Konoha.

"So Sakura fills the void until you're ready to do so. And then you'll move on with your plan." Kakashi suggested.

That did not sit well with Sasuke. "You make it sound like she's disposable to me." he growled.

Kakashi shrugged. "In a way, she is. Even if she is only your friend, as you claim she is, you will eventually have to push her aside for the sake of your future wife when you decide to revive your clan. Women don't exactly like other women sleeping in the same bed as their husband." Kakashi said with a smug smile, gauging the Uchiha's reaction.

Sasuke snorted. "I know that."

"Sasuke," Kakashi's voice had taken a more serious tone. "At some point, you're going to have to figure out how you feel about Sakura. She may not be infatuated with you anymore, but the more time she spends with you, the more hurt she will be when you leave her to pursue your next purpose." Kakashi paused before continuing. "And the last time you left her, it nearly destroyed her."

"I'm very well aware of that." Sasuke spat, clenching his fists as he stood up. "Thanks for your advice; I'm leaving." Sasuke said stiffly, exiting the office and slamming the door behind him.

But Kakashi smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair. He had accomplished his goal for the day: to make the Uchiha realize what he wanted.

* * *

"Sasuke!" Sakura called out in frustration from the bathroom, searching under the cabinets for a towel. _I_ told _him to make sure he did the laundry today while I was working my double shift!_ she thought angrily to herself. _The man must've had servants do his laundry when he was with Orochimaru, because he sure as hell never does it himself!_

"I'm working on it," Sasuke rolled his eyes, walking into the bedroom with a stack of warm towels. He knocked on the bathroom door twice. It opened just enough for a slender hand to shoot out and grab a towel before the door closed again with a _click_.

"Thank you!" Sakura called sweetly, drying herself off and getting dressed in her usual tank top and shorts.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, but he smiled to himself all the same.

It was nearly one o'clock in the morning, and Sakura was exhausted from her day at work. She'd helped deliver four babies after two very long and difficult labors – they were two sets of twins. She emerged from the bathroom, throwing her work clothes and her towel into the laundry hamper in the closest as she made her way across the room to the bed. Sasuke had already pulled back the covers, and Sakura flopped herself down onto the bed dramatically.

"I never want to see another naked, screaming baby again!" she said in exasperation.

Sasuke came and sat on his side of the bed. "Really?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sakura giggled. "No, I was just being dramatic. Don't take everything so literally." she said, nudging him with her foot.

Sasuke gently pushed her foot away and leaned back into the pillows, deep in thought. Sakura didn't notice, however. She had already closed her eyes in relaxation, thankful to finally be off her feet after 16 hours at work.

"So how do you really feel about babies?"

Sakura sat up slowly, caught off guard by the sudden question; especially from someone like Sasuke. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke shrugged, not willing to elaborate.

"Well," Sakura thought it over. "I'd say I like them about the same as any other girl, really. I mean, I assume I'm going to be a mother one day, but I'm not baby-crazy." she said lightly.

"You want to be a mother?"

 _What an odd question_. "Someday, sure, if that's what my husband wants." Sakura shrugged. She noted Sasuke's furrowed brow and couldn't tell if he was analyzing her response or if something else was bothering him. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." Sasuke said casually.

But Sakura knew better. "What about you? Why the sudden interest in babies?" she asked, laying down on her side and propping her head up on one arm, interested the answer to come.

Sasuke was quiet for a minute. "I need to revive my clan at some point." he said, avoiding her avid gaze.

 _That's right,_ Sakura thought. _I do remember him mentioning that when we were genin. I couldn't tell if he was serious, though._ "Have you ever even held a baby before, Sasuke?" Sakura asked with a smirk.

"No."

"Come to the hospital a bit early tomorrow, and we'll find you a baby to hold!" she said cheerfully.

Sasuke blanched. "That's not exactly—"

"Please?" Sakura pushed her bottom lip out, pouting. "For me?" She gave him her best sad puppy dog eyes.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Fine." he sighed.

Sakura held back a squeal of happiness. "I can't wait!"

Sasuke turned off the light and laid down next to her. "It's late; you need to sleep." he said, playfully pushing her head down onto her pillow.

Right on cue, Sakura stifled a yawn behind her hand. "I think you're right. Delivering babies is hard work, and I wasn't even the one doing the pushing." she joked.

* * *

Sasuke took a deep breath as he walked toward the hospital around five o'clock the next day. Sakura's shift was scheduled to end at five-thirty, and Sasuke was a man of his word. He had agreed last night to hold a baby, so there he was, ready to hold a tiny human being for the first time. _It better not puke on me,_ he thought wryly. He walked through the front doors and past the main desk in the lobby, ignoring both receptionists as they tried to offer him assistance. He didn't need them and their swooning; he knew where he was going.

Sasuke had only been waiting in Sakura's office for five minutes when she walked in, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Sasuke!" she said in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you to be in here." she said, quickly wiping her sweaty hand on her pants.

"You told me to get here early. Here I am."

Sakura smiled. "I'm glad you came! I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised." Sakura winked at him, grabbing his hand and pulling him out into the hallway with her. "The nursery is upstairs, adjacent to the maternity ward." she explained as they walked.

Sasuke followed her dutifully, trying not to notice how his pulse quickened at her touch. When they arrived upstairs, a woman walking down the hall in her pajamas smiled meekly at Sakura.

"Sakura-san," the young woman greeted nervously. "I know you said that I shouldn't be walking around, but I just wanted to see them one more time…" she explained quickly.

Sakura smiled, waving off her justification. "I completely understand; they're your first babies, of course you're eager to see them. In fact," Sakura said, gesturing to Sasuke, "I was just about to take Uchiha Sasuke for a tour of the nursery myself. Would you care to join us?"

The woman smiled warmly. "It would be an honor!" Sasuke noted that the woman was not swooning over him in the usual fangirl manner; he knew his name was well-known throughout the village.

"This is Hayashi-san, Sasuke. I helped deliver her twins yesterday." Sakura explained to Sasuke as they walked.

Sasuke quickly found his manners. "Congratulations." he said quietly to the woman, nodding in her direction.

"Thank you! My husband and I are so thrilled – twin boys!" Hayashi-san said proudly. "My husband is the only son in his family, so he was hoping for a son to carry on the family name. And we got two of them!"

That resonated with Sasuke, reminding him of his own predicament. "I see." he said, being polite.

The group came to a halt outside a large window through which Sasuke could see a dozen or so newborns laying in their bassinets. The new mother smiled and pointed to the two babies on the far right-hand side of the room. "There they are!" she said excitedly.

"Here, let's go inside." Sakura said, unlocking the door adjacent to the viewing window and walking into the room. Sasuke let Hayashi-san enter first, and then he followed.

"We need to wash our hands first, just to be safe." Sakura said, motioning to the sink at the back of the room. The new mother quickly washed her hands, anxious to see her sons. Sakura and Sasuke washed their hands more slowly, giving Hayashi-san a few moments of privacy with the twins.

"She's so happy..." Sasuke commented, intrigued. He had noticed that the woman was constantly smiling; it's like she was unable to stop.

"Of course she is! She worked hard for those babies. They didn't just slide out on their own, you know." Sakura elbowed him playfully.

Sasuke had to admit that she had a fair point. He'd never really stopped to think about how difficult it must be for a woman to give birth; he'd never had a reason to.

"How is everyone?" Sakura asked the new mother, wandering over to join her at the bassinets. Sasuke maintained his distance, feeling out of place.

Hayashi-san continued to smile, adjusting the newborn hat on one of her sons. "They're both so beautiful." she whispered. "Can I hold them?"

"Of course," Sakura said brightly. "Do you want both at once?"

"How about you hold one while I hold the other, and then we can switch?" she woman said kindly.

Sakura nodded, picking up the larger of the two boys and placing him into his mother's waiting arms. Sakura then picked up the smaller twin herself, cradling him close to her chest. The two women bounced slightly and cooed indiscernible phrases as they rocked the babies, and Sasuke was fascinated at how they naturally knew how to handle the infants.

 _Sakura actually looks…endearing._ Sasuke thought, his lips forming a very rare smile. His smile quickly disappeared as he noticed Sakura whisper something to Hayashi-san and nod in his direction. Hayashi-san nodded also, continuing to smile radiantly. _Oh no,_ Sasuke thought. _Here we go…_

"Sasuke, would you like to hold one of the twins?" Sakura called, indicating that he should join them.

Sasuke sighed, but obliged all the same. "Sure." he said reluctantly.

"Here, you can hold Aito." Hayashi-san said warmly. "Hold your arms like this," she motioned. "And make sure you support his head; newborns don't have good head control." she explained patiently. "Just hold him close to your body and you'll be fine." she said, walking closer to Sasuke as he awkwardly tried to arrange his arms in a cradling position. "Are you ready?"

Sasuke nodded, slightly anxious as the young woman placed the baby in his arms. He was amazed at how small and light the infant was, despite being the larger of the two twins. He stood very still, holding the baby firmly against his torso. His hand had no trouble supporting the boy's small head, just as he had been instructed.

The boy's mother hid a small laugh behind her hand. "You look so stiff, loosen up a little bit." she teased.

Sasuke tried very hard not to scowl at the woman, and instead settled for a frown. "I've never done this before." he muttered, feeling his cheeks grow warm.

"That's okay, you'll get better with more experience." the boy's mother said reassuringly to Sasuke as she took her second son from Sakura's arms.

Sakura walked over to Sasuke and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're doing great." she whispered in his ear. "It's not so bad after all, is it?"

"No, it's not." Sasuke admitted quietly.

"You'll be ready for a baby of your own in no time." Sakura joked, walking away to check on the other infants in the nursery, leaving Sasuke with wide eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: When writer's block sets in, switch things up a bit! That's my motto, anyway. I know this chapter isn't what I usually write, but I hope you still found it to be fluffy. Thank you for all of the feedback! Writer's block is starting to manifest itself more often – so if any of you have plot point suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Please continue to leave reviews – I love them! Big shout-out to Waterlilly333 for dutifully reviewing every time I update!**

 **And just so you know, chapter seven is going to be pretty great – stay tuned!**


	7. The Heat of the Moment

"Sakura, you're so clueless!" Ino mused, shaking her head at her pink-haired friend.

"No, you just read too far into things." Sakura said, also shaking her head.

Sakura was visiting Ino in the flower shop for some much-needed girl time. She sat on the checkout counter as Ino bustled about the store, tending to the flowers. Sakura had just finished telling Ino about her experiences with Sasuke over the past few weeks.

"Sakura, the man has essentially let you take over his house. And you're _sleeping_ with him!" she said emphatically. "Clearly, Uchiha Sasuke is smitten." Ino sighed dramatically. "I just always thought it would be _me_ who he fell in love with."

Sakura stuck her tongue out at her friend. "You're completely overreacting. He is not in love with me. He just needs a companion." Sakura shrugged, not quite believing her own words.

Ino glanced at Sakura knowingly. "Even if he's not in love with you, he's still a man. Maybe he wants something besides companionship." She raised her eyebrows suggestively and winked.

Sakura shook her head vigorously. "No, no, no! Sasuke isn't like that." she said quickly. "I mean, I don't even know if the man possesses a sex drive." _There's no way I'm telling Ino that Sasuke has never done anything with a girl._ Sakura thought to herself. _Maybe that means he isn't interested in women sexually? But if that's the case, then he's going to have one hell of a time trying to revive his clan._ Sakura thought to herself with a wry smile.

"Then why don't you try finding out?" Ino suggested eagerly. "Tease him a little bit! Try and get into his head."

Sakura frowned. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea…"

Ino rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Sakura, he sleeps next to you every night in his underwear. You wouldn't have to do anything obvious." she said mischievously. "Just give him a little push."

* * *

"Sasuke, why do you continue to walk me home every night?" Sakura asked that night as they routinely made their way toward the Uchiha compound. Sasuke had been escorting her home from the hospital for a little over three months, and Sakura had been sleeping at his house every night for nearly six weeks. "I mean, when I was in my apartment, it was one thing," she explained. "But now that I'm coming home to you every night, wouldn't it be easier for you to just wait for me there?" she asked slyly, wondering if the act of walking her home was his way of trying to express his feelings for her. (If he had feelings for her at all.)

"If I'm waiting for you at home then I can't carry your things." Sasuke shrugged.

Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling. "I'm not completely helpless, you know. I've been carrying my own things for years. I'm a kunoichi; I'm a student of one of the legendary Sannin; and I'm second-in-command of the Konoha hospital. I think I can carry some paperwork with an orchid balanced on top." Sakura smirked.

Sasuke changed his approach. "Well if you're carrying things, then you can't defend yourself from an attack." he pointed out casually.

Sakura scoffed. "If there was an attack, I'd obviously drop everything to defend myself." She gave him a sideways glance. "Do you really think I'm that incompetent?"

Sasuke shrugged noncommittally.

"Hey!" she shoved him playfully. "I took care of myself for _years_ after you left. You didn't seem to care so much about protecting me _then_." she teased.

But that struck a chord with Sasuke. "Sakura," He hesitated. "Do you still resent me for that? For leaving you?"

Sakura bit her lip. "I mean, I don't _actively_ resent you." she said, trying to keep her words kind but honest. "But if I stop and think about it for too long, I start to get angry. So I just try to focus on the fact that you're home now and we've become close friends and that's all that matters."

 _Close friends._ Sasuke's thoughts lingered on those two words. In the past, he had never imagined that he would become close friends with Haruno Sakura. She had been too obsessed with him to ever be capable of simple friendship. He never would have thought that he would not only become her friend, but he would also be letting her platonically sleep in his bed every night.

He never thought that he would eventually want something _more_ than a platonic relationship…

"Was it something I said?"

Sasuke was pulled from his reverie by Sakura's anxious question. He quickly shook his head. "No, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Sasuke ignored her question.

* * *

"Oh dear God," Sakura said, fanning herself with her hand as they walked into the Uchiha manor. "Why is it so _hot_ in here?"

"Oh, I forgot to mention: the air conditioning isn't working properly." Sasuke said casually.

Sakura groaned. "I've been sweating my ass off all day long in that damn hospital, and now I'm going to sweat at home, too."

"Go take a shower while I open some windows." Sasuke suggested, already opening the window above the kitchen sink. "It's cooler outside than it is in here."

Sakura groaned again to no one in particular as she dragged her feet down the hallway to the master bedroom to pursue a cool shower.

Sasuke smirked to himself in amusement as he proceeded to open nearly every window in the house to let in the cool night air. He wasn't particularly bothered by the heat, but he wanted to ensure Sakura's comfort.

He was heading toward their bedroom when he saw something lying on the ground in the dark hallway. As his eyes adjusted and he walked closer, he noticed that Sakura had left her boots in the middle of the floor. Continuing to the bedroom, Sasuke saw that Sakura had also left her shirt lying in the doorway. _That's odd,_ he thought. That's when he spotted her shorts lying on the floor in the middle of the room, followed by her—

Sasuke's eyes grew wide. Laying on the floor right outside the closed bathroom door was a black bra and some lacey panties. _Someone just couldn't wait to undress, could she?_ Sasuke thought with a smirk. He quickly composed his face as he heard her shut the water off and step out of the shower.

Sakura stepped out of the bathroom in her towel. "Whoops," she said with an innocent smile. "Let me get that," she said, bending over to pick up her undergarments from the floor.

Sasuke noticed that when she bent over, the bottom of her towel rose dangerously close to her butt, making him look away awkwardly.

"I was just so hot," she explained, "I couldn't wait until I got to the bathroom." She smiled sweetly at him as she crossed the room and bent down to pick up her other articles of clothing.

Sasuke swallowed, walking into the bathroom hurriedly. He was suddenly in need of a very cold shower.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting." Sasuke said with a hint of annoyance as Sakura sighed in exasperation and flipped her pillow to the cooler side for the seventh time.

"I'm sorry, I'm just hot!" Sakura snapped, laying back down and staring at the ceiling fan, wishing it would do its job and cool her off.

"Then do something about it besides rolling around and sighing every five minutes."

"What do you suggest I do?" Sakura asked, scowling at the Uchiha in the dark.

"Do what I did." Sasuke suggested, the darkness masking his smug smile "Just take off your clothes." Indeed, Sasuke was lying there in just his boxer shorts, cool as a cucumber.

Sakura blushed. "I don't think—"

"Just do it and stop complaining." Sasuke said nonchalantly, folding his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

Sakura looked over at Sasuke curiously. "Somebody seems anxious for me to get naked." she taunted, sliding her pajama shorts off and dropping them on the floor beside the bed.

Sasuke scoffed. "You won't be naked as long as you're wearing underwear." he reasoned.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine." she agreed, thankful for the darkness as she pulled her tank top over her head and threw it across the room.

"Do you feel better?" Sasuke asked her, still staring at the ceiling so as not to make her feel uncomfortable.

"I do, actually." Sakura admitted, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "What a smooth move." she muttered smugly.

Sasuke's cheeks felt warm. "It wasn't a move—"

"So tell me, Sasuke." Sakura said abruptly, propping her head up on her arm as she turned to face him. "What are we?"

Sasuke blanched. "Earlier you said we were friends." he reminded her.

"Friends don't sleep together in their underwear."

"They do when they're hot." Sasuke said casually.

Sakura snorted, choosing a new angle of attack. "Alright, so we're friends. But be honest: do you ever…I don't know… _feel_ anything? Like, don't you ever _wonder_?" she coaxed.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sasuke replied stubbornly.

Sakura sat up, commanding his attention. "Look at me, Sasuke."

Sasuke was at odds with himself. On one hand, he most certainly wanted to look at Sakura right now. On the other hand, he was trying very hard to conceal his feelings for the young woman.

"Sasuke," Sakura urged softly. "Please." she pleaded.

Sasuke sighed, turning to look her in the eye. "What do you want from me?"

"I want an answer."

"No."

"Are you refusing to answer my question, or is that your answer?" she demanded to know.

Sasuke huffed, looking away again. "Go to sleep."

"Sasuke!" Sakura said, becoming very irritated. "If you're my friend then you can tell me the truth."

"Well then maybe we aren't friends." Sasuke said shortly.

Sakura froze, a hurt look appearing on her face.

Sasuke backtracked. "I didn't mean it like that." he said in frustration, pulling at his long black hair.

"Then how did you mean it?" Sakura asked acidly, glaring at her teammate until he answered her.

Sasuke sighed deeply, turning to meet Sakura's hard eyes. "I can't answer that." he said softly, a pleading look in his eyes. "Please," he begged. "Don't make me."

Sakura felt frustrated enough to explode, but she heard the sincerity in his voice and forced herself to speak calmly. "I don't understand."

"You don't have to. Just trust me."

Sakura crossed her arms, throwing herself back onto her pillow. "I don't know if I _can_ trust you." she told him honestly. "You left me behind once. And even thought I don't resent you for it, I can't help but wonder when you're going to leave again." she admitted quietly. "I just want to know that I'm not expendable to you."

Sasuke quickly moved towards her, scooping her into his arms and pulling her close to his chest. Sakura gasped softly as he held her tight.

"Listen to me," Sasuke said quietly into her ear. "You are far from expendable. I really fucked up when I left you before, and I will always regret that. And I can't promise that I'll never disappear again. But you have to believe me when I say that no matter how many times I leave," He paused to gently kiss the top of her head.

"I will always come back for you."

* * *

Sakura had happily fallen asleep in Sasuke's arms before she could think of a decent response to his heartfelt sentiment. Although it was very hot in their room the next morning, neither Sakura nor Sasuke wanted the embrace to end when they woke up in each other's arms. They had slept straight through the night – a first for Sasuke since he came home over three months ago.

Sasuke was the first to stir, squinting as the daylight burned his eyes. After a few blinks, he yawned and became aware of the girl fast asleep in his arms. He breathed in the scent of her hair and sighed happily, pulling her closer.

Sakura felt Sasuke's arms tighten around her and she lifted her head up sleepily, trying to find his face. She looked up at him, still only semi-conscious. "Hey you," she smiled serenely.

"Hey." he replied quietly with a smile.

"I've never seen you smile like that before." Sakura commented.

Sasuke didn't say anything, but continued to smile unabashedly for the first time since his childhood.

It was then that Sakura's brain revisited the events from the previous night, and she couldn't help but remember how Sasuke had failed to give her a definite answer to her questions. She couldn't help but note their current position: she was lying with her torso halfway on top of Sasuke's chest as he held her close; her head had previously been tucked under his chin. She also became aware of the fact that they were both still in their underwear, and her cheeks flushed.

 _This isn't something friends do,_ she decided. _But he'd rather die than admit it._

"You okay?" Sasuke asked, pulling her from her daydream.

"Yeah," Sakura said quickly. "Just really hot, that's all." she lied, abruptly pulling away from Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but didn't pursue the matter further. He was too busy looking at Sakura – really looking at her for the first time since she had taken her clothes off the night before. His eyes wandered shamelessly, following the curves of her body and taking in the smoothness of her skin. He'd never seen her like this before, and he had to admit that he really liked it.

Sakura noticed his wandering gaze and self-consciously adjusted her bra, feeling very out of place.

Sasuke steeled himself. "You look good." he assured her.

Sakura blushed. "Thank you." she said, looking away.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asked, sensing her discomfort.

"Nothing." Sakura said quickly, finding her courage. "I've just been thinking." she said, her hand seeking his and grasping it. "The way you just looked at me…and the way you held me last night…" she paused, gathering her thoughts. She took a deep breath. "Even if you won't admit it, you feel something for me. I'm sure of it." she said confidently, giving him a sly grin.

Sasuke felt his face grow warm. "I don't want to talk—"

Sakura put a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. "We don't have to talk about it; I don't need a confession from you right now. But I do want to try something." she said mischievously, letting go of his hand and removing her finger from his lips. "You know, between friends." she said with a flirtatious wink.

Sasuke tried to mask his anxiety as Sakura crawled closer and straddled his hips. He looked up at her in disbelief, wondering what on earth was going through her head. He was also suddenly aware of how his body reacted to Sakura's actions as she sat on his groin; he hoped she wouldn't notice.

But Sakura did notice, although she didn't outwardly show it. _I knew it_ , she thought to herself with satisfaction. As she laid her hands on his chest and leaned forward to whisper in his ear, Sasuke noted the particularly stunning view of her cleavage that he was getting.

"Tell me, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered seductively, purposely adding the suffix to his name. "How does this make you feel?"

Sasuke gulped, refusing to answer. He suddenly felt very warm, and it had nothing to do with the lack of air conditioning in the house.

Sakura responded by trailing small kisses along his jawline and down his neck. Sasuke shuddered agreeably, his pulse quickening.

"Hmmm?" Sakura probed, nibbling on his ear.

Sasuke's heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest. "Sakura," he breathed, determined to maintain his composure.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

But Sasuke had already lost his train of thought.

Sakura gave him a sultry smile. "You can't possibly tell me that you've never wondered what it would be like to…" she taunted him, her lips just barely brushing his. "…kiss me." she finished.

Sasuke held his breath, eagerly waiting for her to kiss his mouth.

But Sakura raised her head and returned to kissing his neck, running her hands up and down his torso sensually.

"Sakura," he repeated rather raggedly; he was quickly losing control.

"Yes?" she asked, subtly grinding her hips against his while she gazed at him through her lashes.

Sasuke couldn't stifle the moan that escaped his lips as he grabbed onto her hips.

Sakura smiled with satisfaction. "So you _are_ enjoying this."

"Sakura, please." Sasuke begged this time, closing his eyes.

"Say it." Sakura commanded.

Sasuke refused, biting his lip so hard that he thought it would start bleeding.

"Say it." she repeated, pressing her hips harder into his. "If we were just friends, you would've pushed me off long ago."

"Fuck," Sasuke growled, grabbing Sakura and pushing her backward onto the bed as his lips crashed into hers passionately. She returned his kiss with equal force, lacing her fingers into his hair. Sasuke's hands roamed her body hungrily, wanting to touch every inch of her exposed skin; he couldn't get enough of her. For weeks, he had longed to touch her like this. For weeks, he had battled his feelings. And now they had reached a crossroads.

Sasuke knew that their friendship was effectively ruined, but he hoped that that meant their intimate relationship could finally flourish.

"Wait," Sakura stopped him.

Sasuke paused, breathing heavily.

Sakura gave him an impish grin. "Are you finally admitting that you're interested in me for something physical; something other than platonic companionship?"

"No," Sasuke said breathlessly, kissing her again. "This is me admitting that I love you."

* * *

 **A/N: I survived the 27 days of organic chemistry – hallelujah! And I also made an A in the class – even better! I have to say, getting emails about new reviews while I was in class really brightened my days – thank you for that! I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter, because I really enjoyed writing it! I've had it written for weeks, and I'm so glad I finally got to post it. My new goal is to get at least 5 reviews and 10 Story Alerts/Favorites before I'll post the next chapter. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas for future chapters! (I just finished writing chapter 10 today.) Until next time, dear readers!**


	8. Curiosity Killed the Cat

Sakura had a spring in her step when she went to work that day. _Uchiha Sasuke loves me._ she thought to herself over and over again. _Me!_ She couldn't stop smiling to herself as she made her usual rounds, tending to patients and checking on the other staff. The other nurses noticed her happiness and whispered their theories amongst themselves, but Sakura paid them no attention. Nothing could bring her down today.

To be honest, Sakura hadn't even completely realized that she herself harbored true feelings for the Uchiha. She had been interested in getting to know him again, of course. And she had always thought he was attractive. But after spending so much time together, hearing him say the words "I love you" had awoken all of her old feelings for Sasuke, and she knew that she had never really stopped loving him.

She was so eager to get home and see him again that she left work an hour early, after making sure that all of her current patients had been attended to. She was surprised to see Sasuke already waiting outside the hospital doors for her.

"How did you know I would leave early?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Maybe I perched outside your office window and heard you tell Shizune about your plans."

"How often do you spy on me like that?" Sakura asked playfully, raising an eyebrow.

"Every day." Sasuke answered honestly.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Really?"

Sasuke nodded, scuffing his foot on the ground. "I need to know that you're safe."

 _Only Sasuke could love someone so fiercely,_ Sakura thought to herself with a grin. "That's very sweet of you." she said, taking his hand in hers as they walked home.

"Nothing for me to carry?" Sasuke asked mildly, looking for her usual stack of patient files.

"Not today!" Sakura said cheerfully. "I left them behind for once. And _someone_ was too busy making out with me this morning to send me an orchid." she teased, squeezing his hand.

Sasuke blushed at her use of the term "making out". He was still very new to the world of physical affection; it excited him and made him anxious all at once.

They walked in comfortable silence until they arrived home. Sakura walked in the door and sighed happily, relishing the cool air that filled the house.

"The air conditioning is fixed!" she said happily.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded, shutting the front door. "Just for you."

Sakura smiled sweetly and kissed Sasuke on the cheek; unlike Sasuke, she was not shy of affection. "Thank you." She made her way into the kitchen to find something to eat, leaving Sasuke blushing again.

Sasuke was struggling with his earlier declaration of love. It wasn't something that he had planned to say; he had just kind of blurted it out in the moment. That wasn't to say that it wasn't true; he had already decided that he most certainly loved Sakura. But to be honest, Sasuke had never had much experience with intimacy, and he did not know how to proceed now that his feelings were out in the open. He wasn't sure what was considered to be normal; he also did not want to move too quickly.

Intimate relationships were also foreign to Sakura for the most part, but being a social girl, she'd heard enough gossip from her friends and been on enough casual dates to know the basics. She also had no problem following her instincts, while Sasuke was much more cautious.

"So," Sasuke began awkwardly as Sakura made herself a sandwich.

"Hm?" Sakura asked, spreading mayonnaise.

"Um," Sasuke faltered.

"Someone seems a bit tongue-tied tonight." Sakura giggled. "Is everything okay?"

"Hn."

Sakura took a bite of her sandwich. "Is it because of what happened this morning?" she asked.

Sasuke shook his head quickly. "No."

"Because if you'd rather pretend it didn't happen and go back to just keeping each other company, I'm okay with that." she reassured him. "I know you're not really looking for a relationship, and I don't expect you—"

"How do _you_ know what I want?" Sasuke interrupted her curiously, but not rudely.

"Well, I just figured…since you've been gone for so long…and I mean, you've never been the type of guy to have a girlfriend…"

Sasuke moved closer to her, lifting her chin to look him in the eye. "You're right. I've never wanted a girlfriend." he agreed. "But I don't want you as my girlfriend."

Sakura frowned. "Oh. I guess I just thought—"

"I want you as more than just my girlfriend." Sasuke interrupted. "I don't know what the future holds, but I don't just want you temporarily." he assured her, grabbing her hand. "I've put a lot of thought into this, and I know you're what I want." he said plainly.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You've 'put a lot of thought into this'? Just how long have you been interested in me?"

Sasuke smirked, gesturing to the house and all of its contents. "Ever since I bought all of this."

Sakura's jaw dropped. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly. "I was trying to get you to spend time over here with me. I wanted to turn this into a space that you'd feel comfortable in." He met her gaze steadily. "I wanted you to call this place home."

Sakura felt her heart melting. "Sasuke," she said softly, putting the rest of her sandwich down and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. She felt him stiffen momentarily with surprise before he placed his arms around her waist.

"I had no idea." Sakura whispered in his ear. "But thank you. I love being here with you every night."

Sasuke suddenly had an idea. "You should move in. Permanently."

Sakura pulled back to look at his face. "Really? You'd like that?"

Sasuke nodded firmly. "Think about it: how often do you actually go back to your apartment these days?"

Now that Sakura thought about it, the answer was "very seldom". She did her laundry at Sasuke's house, kept her favorite foods at his house, bathed at his house – everything.

"I suppose there's no point continuing to pay rent if I'm not there…"

"It's settled. On your next day off, you're moving in." Sasuke decided.

* * *

That night, both Sasuke and Sakura found themselves feeling a little more awkward than usual as they crawled into bed together. Neither of them knew how to proceed after their rather intimate encounter earlier that morning.

 _Is he expecting more?_ Sakura wondered.

 _Am I supposed to make the next move?_ Sasuke asked himself.

They sat in awkward silence for several minutes before Sasuke's curiosity got the best of him.

"Sakura," he began. "I told you before that I've never been with a girl, but you never mentioned if you've…" he trailed off, his cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink.

 _Is Sasuke trying to make conversation?_ Sakura had to fight off the urge to giggle. "Well, I've been on a few dates. But I've never done anything serious."

Sasuke looked perplexed. "When you say 'serious', what exactly does that mean?"

Now it was Sakura's turn to blush. "Um, well, I guess you could say that I've been to second base, but just barely." she admitted.

Sasuke didn't need to tell Sakura that he didn't understand; the look on his face said it all.

"You don't know the bases?" Sakura asked, stifling another giggle.

Sasuke scowled at her.

Sakura tried to compose herself and quickly failed. "Sorry, I guess you and Orochimaru probably didn't cover the sexual bases in your training." she snickered.

Sasuke's resulting glare would have paralyzed anyone who had not known him for as long as Sakura had.

"Alright, alright." she said, taking a deep breath and pulling herself together. "Getting to second base with someone means that you've passed first base, which is kissing, and now you're doing things with your hands." she explained, feeling a little embarrassed.

"So what did you mean when you said you've 'just barely' made it to second base?" Sasuke asked, smirking as he watched Sakura struggle.

"Um, most people our age take their clothes off by the time they get to second base, but I've always kept them on." she explained shyly.

"Interesting." Sasuke mused. "But I seem to remember you taking them off last night."

"That's only because you told me to!" she said, shoving him playfully.

"So are you telling me that you've gone farther with me than you've gone with any other guy?"

"Yes." Sakura admitted, blushing. She saw a satisfied smirk appear on Sasuke's face. "But I don't know why you think that's so funny, since you were too busy getting revenge to be interested in girls." she pointed out. "Unless you did something with that redhead and you're just not telling me." she said slyly.

Sasuke shook his head, scoffing. "No way. Karin was even more annoying than you were."

"Hey!" Sakura shoved him again. "Do you still think I'm annoying?"

Sasuke looked at her. "Of course not."

"Not even a little bit?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Everyone can be annoying at some point. But on the whole, no, I don't think you're annoying anymore. If I did, I wouldn't have asked you to move in with me."

That made Sakura smile. She scooted closer to him and reached up to run her fingers through his hair absentmindedly. Sasuke closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura purred into his ear. "If I'm moving in, does that mean we're officially together?"

"If that's what you want." he answered huskily, recognizing her use of the suffix as a sign of flirtation.

Sakura nodded, continuing to play with his hair. "I just want you to know that since we're officially together, you don't have to hold back anymore."

"Mmmm," Sasuke moaned softly. "I don't?"

"Not at all," Sakura said seductively, nibbling on his ear. "If you're _curious_ about anything…or if you have any _urges_ …feel free to let me know, and I'll help in any way that I can."

 _God,_ Sasuke thought, _she is so fucking hot._ Never in a million years had he imagined that Sakura could be so provocative. He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her neck as she straddled him. "I don't even know where to begin." he growled between kisses.

Sakura sighed softly as he kissed under her jaw. _He's good, for someone with no experience_. "We could start _here_." She slowly pulled off her tank top and threw it on the floor, revealing the bra that Sasuke had seen lying on the floor the previous night.

Sasuke's eyes widened with lust. "I like that idea."

Sakura tugged at the hem of his shirt. "You, too!"

Sasuke quickly removed his own shirt and tossed it aside. "Happy?" he asked with a smirk.

Sakura nodded, running her hands down his torso; feeling his muscles. Sasuke relished her touch while his eyes wandered over her body hungrily. Her black lace bra contrasted nicely against her ivory skin, and the low-rise waist of her red shorts showed off her hips. His fingers itched to take off the rest of Sakura's clothing, but he refrained from doing so.

"Do you like what you see?" Sakura asked, feeling slightly self-conscious.

Sasuke pushed her backward onto the bed and hovered above her, touching his forehead to hers with affection. "You're beautiful." he said sincerely. "I can't get enough." he said, kissing her neck again as she giggled lightheartedly. "In fact," he said, gently tugging at the waist of her shorts, "I want more."

Sakura blushed, looking away from him.

Sasuke paused his kissing to look into her eyes. "Do you want to stop?" He had no intention of pushing her past her limits, despite his raging hormones.

She shook her head. "No, no. I'm just feeling a little…nervous."

Sasuke frowned slightly. "Please don't. You're gorgeous."

"I guess I just…" Sakura trailed off, embarrassed. "I guess I just never thought I'd be doing all of _this_ with the great Uchiha Sasuke." she finished, averting her eyes.

Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle. "Are you intimidated by me?"

Sakura nodded sheepishly.

Sasuke touched his forehead to hers, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Listen to me." he said softly. "Don't be intimidated. I have no idea what I'm doing. You're in control here."

Sakura perked up a little bit. "Really?"

"Yes." Sasuke said, trailing kisses from the base of her throat down to her chest. "Just tell me what you want."

With Sasuke's reassurance, Sakura's moment of embarrassment had passed, and now she was pulling off Sasuke's pajamas pants, revealing his boxer shorts. She then pulled down her own shorts, tossing them confidently across the room. After dimming the lights, she wrapped her arms around Sasuke and pulled him closer so that his chest was pressed up against her breasts.

"I want you to make out with me and tell me that you love me." she whispered silkily into his ear.

Sasuke grinned as he lifted Sakura from the bed and cradled her in his arms. "Anything for you." he said, gently kissing her on the lips for the first time all night.

Kissing her made his head spin and his heart flutter. Although he initiated the kiss, he followed her lead; he truly had no idea what he was doing. He only knew that he could touch her and kiss her like this for hours and never get enough of her. He had been starved of physical affection for nearly his entire life, and now that he had it, he never wanted to lose it.

"Sakura," he breathed, looking into her eyes. "I lo—"

But Sakura never heard Sasuke finish his sentence, because there was a sudden explosion from the direction of the front of the house; it sounded like someone had smashed their way through the front door. Sasuke realized that the intruder was far too loud to be a serious enemy, and his thoughts were confirmed when his bedroom door burst open and none other than Uzumaki Naruto was standing there, struggling to catch his breath.

"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted, doubling over in an effort to breathe. He had run all the way to the Uchiha district from across town. "Sasuke, wake up! I can't find Sakura anywhere! I've been waiting for her all day, and she never came home from work!" he hollered into the darkness, assuming that Sasuke was asleep.

"Calm down, you idiot!" Sasuke barked as Sakura hurried to cover her exposed body.

"You don't understand!" Naruto said with exasperation, flipping on the overhead light. "Sakura isn't – oh my God! Sakura-chan?!" Naruto's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the pink-haired woman in bed with the Uchiha.

Sakura's face matched her hair as she blushed furiously, pulling the sheets up to her chin. Sasuke, on the other hand, was giving his orange-clad teammate a death glare.

Naruto continued to stare at the two, looking from one to the other. "Wait, what's going on here? Sakura-chan? Sasuke? Are you guys—"

"Naruto, let us explain—" Sakura interjected.

"—having _sex_?!" Naruto finished, flabbergasted.

"Shut up!" Sasuke said irritably, leaping from the bed to push Naruto out of his room. "Now that you know Sakura is safe, get out of my house." he growled, shoving Naruto down the hall toward the front door.

"Hey! You can't just kick me out! I have lots of important questions!"

"We'll talk later." Sasuke said tersely, ushering Naruto outside. "I'll even take you out for ramen if you keep your mouth shut about this." Sasuke said, trying very hard to keep his voice level.

Naruto took a moment to think about Sasuke's offer. "Alright, we have a deal. But you better not hurt Sakura-chan, or I'll kick your ass, do you understand?" Naruto's voice had taken on a more serious tone, and he looked at Sasuke with a threatening look in his eyes.

"You have my word." Sasuke said genuinely. _I have no intentions of ever hurting her, you idiot, because I love her._ he thought to himself, rolling his eyes. "And you owe me a new front door!" he said, gesturing to the splintered pieces of wood that littered the entryway of his home.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I was in a hurry."

"Clearly." Sasuke scoffed, raising an arm in farewell as Naruto left the property to pursue some instant ramen and his warm bed. Sasuke wasn't very worried about the front door, since the Uchiha district was completely deserted. But just for general principle, he searched the linen closet and hung a thick blanket over the doorway to ensure their privacy and to keep the newly-restored air conditioning within the house.

When he returned to his bedroom, a very sleepy Sakura was curled up in the middle of the bed, barely awake. She had stolen Sasuke's T-shirt from the floor and was now wearing it as a makeshift nightgown. She opened her eyes when she heard Sasuke enter the room.

"Is he gone?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, he's gone. And he's going to keep his mouth shut."

Sakura smiled sleepily. "I'm glad you didn't kill him."

Sasuke chuckled. "He's so dumb, he doesn't even realize what he did wrong." He turned off the overhead light that Naruto had turned on, and he crawled back into bed next to Sakura. He then turned off the lamp next to the bed and pulled the drowsy girl into his arms. Sakura tucked her head under his chin; he felt her sigh in relaxation.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to finish…" Sakura said softly.

Sasuke kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry about it, you can go to sleep. You've got to be at work tomorrow morning."

"Mmmm, goodnight, Sasuke." Sakura said, nuzzling into him as she drifted off to sleep.

Once he was certain that Sakura was fast asleep, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and finished his earlier thought that Naruto had rudely interrupted.

"I love you, Sakura."

* * *

 **A/N: Naruto is the best plot device! Also, I really enjoy watching these characters struggle through awkward moments. I feel like Sakura and Sasuke are both so inexperienced that they just don't know how to handle all of these new developments in their relationship. Also, thank to everyone who reviewed the last chapter – you guys gave my three times as many reviews as I was hoping for! Now, my goal for each chapter will be ten reviews, so keep it up!**

 **Side note: I had one reviewer say that they're disappointed I won't be writing any lemons, and to that, I say: Sorry! Honestly, I love a good lemon just as much as the next person, but I just don't feel comfortable writing them myself. Hopefully this story will have enough sexual fluff without the need for any lemons.**


	9. A Man of Few Words

True to his word, Sasuke met Naruto for ramen at Ichiraku the very next day. He bought Naruto two bowls, hoping to keep his mouth sufficiently full so that he wouldn't interrupt Sasuke as he explained his relationship with Sakura. He kept his voice low as he explained how he'd come to terms with his feelings for Sakura and had decided to pursue her. He emphasized the fact that Naruto was not to tell a single soul aside from Kakashi about any of this.

Naruto took a moment to absorb all of the information, slurping his noodles as he did so. Finally, he spoke. "Are you sure you know what you're doing, Sasuke?"

His question took Sasuke by surprise. "Honestly? No." he admitted.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Let me remind you that after you left, Sakura-chan was a complete wreck. You don't know much about girls and relationships, and neither do I, but I know this: if you break her heart again, she'll never forgive you, and she'll never get over you, either. You'll ruin her. Forever." he said emphatically.

"Don't think I don't already know that, loser." Sasuke growled. "Why do people have such a hard time believing that I'm in this for real?"

Naruto crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "I mean, you did abandon us in pursuit of revenge. You did try to kill us all. You considered destroying the entire Leaf Village. You can't blame us for being cautious, can you?"

Sasuke looked downward, and although he was not the kind of person to admit regret, he secretly felt a bit ashamed of his past actions. "Things are different now," he began quietly. "Itachi is dead. Orochimaru is dead. The war is over. I've run out of reasons to keep pushing my friends away. I've run out of things to protect you from."

Naruto raised his eyebrows in surprise; Sasuke was a man of very few words, and here he was, confessing his innermost thoughts and feelings.

Sasuke sighed. "Itachi would have wanted me to try and mend the bonds that I've broken. So that's what I'm doing."

Naruto grinned and slurped the rest of the broth from his second bowl of noodles. "If you're serious about her, then go for it. Honestly, Sakura-chan is the only woman in this village who could keep your ass in check, anyway." He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and stood up. "Just make sure you don't screw anything up." he said with a smile. "I'm tired of our team being divided."

Sasuke smirked. "Don't talk down to me; you were always the one screwing things up, as I recall."

Naruto scowled. "Was not!"

Sasuke chuckled, placing some money on the counter to pay for Naruto's lunch. "So says the guy who destroyed my front door and ruined my night."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, about that…I promise I'll fix your door! But first," he said, giving Sasuke a sly grin. "Tell me what it's like to do it with Sakura-chan."

Sasuke smacked Naruto in the back of the head. "You went too far." he said, walking away with his hands in his pockets as Naruto wailed.

* * *

Naruto knocked on Hinata's door while rubbing the large bump that was beginning to form at the back of his head.

Hinata answered the door and smiled warmly when she saw that it was her boyfriend. "Naruto-kun," she greeted, stepping aside to allow Naruto to enter. "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into now?" she asked softly, hiding a smile.

"That damn Sasuke." Naruto grumbled, sitting down on the couch.

Hinata giggled and sat down beside him. "Was your visit with him less than pleasant?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, it was fine. I think I just screwed up at the very end." he laughed. "But hey, you can keep a secret, can't you, Hinata?"

Hinata nodded eagerly. "Of course, Naruto-kun."

Naruto grinned widely. "Alright, so you gotta listen to this!"

And Naruto proceeded to tell Hinata all about Sasuke's relationship with Sakura.

* * *

Sakura met Hinata at a local bistro one day during her lunch break. The two girls had grown closer since Hinata and Naruto started dating, and Sakura had come to appreciate Hinata as one of the best listening ears in all of Konoha. After exchanging greetings and ordering their food, Sakura couldn't hold back any longer.

"Hinata! I've got so much to tell you!" Sakura said excitedly. "I mean, ever since Sasuke came back to the village, my life has been so crazy! You'll never guess what happened last month."

Hinata tried her best to look politely curious. "What happened?"

"I moved into Sasuke's house!" Sakura said, struggling to contain herself.

"That's lovely!" Hinata said enthusiastically.

But Sakura saw straight through her façade. "Naruto already told you." she said with a knowing smirk. "That bastard told you everything, didn't he?"

Hinata smiled apologetically and nodded. "But please know that I haven't told a single soul."

Sakura just shook her head in amusement. "I guess I should be grateful that he only told you and no one else. And I suppose since you're his girlfriend, I'll forgive him for telling you." she laughed. "Well this actually makes things easier, because now I don't have to explain everything to you! I can get straight to the point: I need your advice."

"I'm not sure if I'm the right girl to come to for advice…" Hinata said nervously.

"How did you and Naruto get past all the awkwardness of, um, being intimate?" Sakura asked shyly.

Hinata blushed furiously. "Um, well, um…"

"I just don't know what's normal and what's not. Like, sometimes I get the feeling that he wants to jump my bones. But as soon as things start heating up, one of us gets nervous and we just settle for cuddling and kissing."

Hinata was as red as a tomato. "I mean, I don't know how Sasuke feels, but I'm sure there are several reasons why you two aren't, um, getting anywhere."

"I'm all ears." Sakura said, desperate for advice from someone besides Ino, whose first suggestion was always to strip down completely naked and surprise Sasuke. That wasn't exactly Sakura's style; she was a bit more modest.

"First, I'd say that you're both nervous because you're both inexperienced. I know that was my problem." Hinata said quietly, averting her eyes. "But that gets better over time. Second, I wonder how Sasuke feels about, um, casual encounters before marriage."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, clearly confused. "He's a man, isn't he? I would've thought he'd love the idea of casual sex without any real commitment."

Hinata took a deep breath, trying to overcome her discomfort about discussing such sensitive topics with her friend. "Well, he's an Uchiha, and they were a very proud and infamous clan throughout the shinobi world, right? If they were anything like my clan, then they would've placed a lot of importance on making sure you think twice before you, um, sleep with someone." she explained. "It would have shamed the clan for there to be an unplanned pregnancy, because the kekkei genkai could then be passed onto someone less than worthy of bearing the clan name."

Sakura had to admit that Hinata had brought up a point that she had never considered before. "So what does that mean? Does that mean he loves me but he doesn't think I'm good enough to possibly…" Sakura didn't want to say 'have his babies' out loud, because something about that just seemed too far off to even think about.

Hinata shrugged. "As the heir to my clan, a lot of pressure has been placed upon me to pick my future spouse wisely so that I can give my clan the best future. I'm sure Sasuke feels even more pressure, seeing as he's the only remaining Uchiha."

Sakura took a moment to mull that over. "Interesting."

"But that doesn't mean that he thinks you're not good enough!" Hinata said hurriedly. "If he's told you that he loves you, then that's probably not the problem at all. He's probably just hesitant to do anything that either of you might regret. I mean, have you two discussed the possibility of marriage and children?"

Sakura blanched. "Not at all! I don't even know if he intends to marry me. I mean, he says he loves me and wants this to be a serious relationship, but I just don't know how far he wants it to go." she admitted, feeling rather dejected once she realized what she was saying. _Even if he loves me, he'll have to leave me if I'm not what's best for his clan. He can tell me all day every day that he loves me, but there's no point to any of this if he doubts my ability to help revive his clan._

"What do _you_ want out of this, Sakura?" Hinata asked softly.

Sakura's brow furrowed as she wondered what exactly she had expected from this relationship. _Why haven't I thought about these things before?_ she thought to herself. _I've been in love with this guy since I was a kid. But marrying him? Having his children? Is that what I really want?_ Sakura didn't want to become someone's baby-making machine; she was a respected kunoichi, and she didn't want to sacrifice everything she'd worked for just so Sasuke could restore his clan and leave her behind at home with his babies.

"I hope I haven't upset you." Hinata mumbled nervously.

Sakura shook her head quickly. "No, no, you've brought up some really good points. I guess I was just so caught up in the excitement that I hadn't bothered to think about these things before. I guess I really don't know what I want. And I don't know what Sasuke wants, either."

"You two should talk about it." Hinata suggested.

Sakura laughed sardonically. "Ha, as if Uchiha Sasuke would ever be so open with his feelings. He's not really good at conversation. It's been a struggle to get him to communicate; he's a man of action, not words."

* * *

A few days later, when Sakura was lying in bed with Sasuke (after some really intense kissing), her lunch conversation with Hinata came to mind. "Hey, Sasuke," she said lightly, trying to keep things casual.

"Hm?" he asked, playing with Sakura's hair as she laid there in his arms with her head on his chest.

"Don't bite my head off," Sakura teased. "But I'm just curious about something."

Sasuke grunted in response, waiting for her to continue.

"Do you want to have sex?"

Every muscle in Sasuke's body froze and his eyes grew wide. "Excuse me?"

"With me, I mean." Sakura explained nonchalantly, almost as if she was simply asking him to go to the movies. "Do you want to have sex with me?"

Sasuke still didn't understand what was going on. "Right now?" he asked hoarsely.

Sakura giggled at his expense. "Not right now, silly. Just, whenever. Like, do you ever…" she looked up at him, batting her eyelashes innocently. "…want me?"

Sasuke refused to answer that question. "What's going on? Is this some kind of trick?" he asked suspiciously.

"I'm just curious, that's all. You're a strange bird, Uchiha Sasuke." she teased. "Most men would've tried to have sex with me a dozen times by now. Am I not good enough for the last remaining Uchiha?" she asked lightheartedly, reaching up to kiss Sasuke under his jaw, causing him to shiver with goosebumps.

When Sasuke didn't say anything, Sakura continued to tease him. _I just love getting inside his head_ , she thought mischievously. "Does it make you nervous when I talk about sex?"

Sasuke didn't respond, but with her head so close to his chest, Sakura could hear his heartbeat, and she could see the pulse quicken in his neck. She reached up and nibbled on his ear gently before she whispered, "Or does it _excite_ you?"

Sasuke began to fidget, his eyes looking anywhere but downward and into the eyes of the beautiful woman lying on top of him. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that Sakura was nearly naked, wearing only her undergarments. It made his heart beat even faster when he thought about what she would look like without anything at all.

"Aren't you curious, Sasuke-kun? Don't you want to know what it's like?" Sakura purred into his ear.

In all their time together, they'd yet to see each other completely nude. Not that they hadn't come close, of course. But something had always gotten in the way and stopped them.

Tonight, that "something" would be Sasuke.

"It's getting late. You should sleep. I'm going for a walk." Sasuke said abruptly, gently pushing Sakura off of him and rising from the bed. "I'll be back in an hour." he told her, quickly exiting the bedroom.

Sakura huffed and threw herself back onto her pillow. _He's definitely nervous_ , she decided as she turned to face the wall. She wouldn't be sleeping any time soon.

Uzumaki Naruto and Hyūga Hinata had just settled into bed for a night of frolicking between the sheets when there was a single knock on the front door. Naruto gave Hinata one last sloppy kiss, leaving her in a fit of giggles as he walked down the hall to answer the door.

"Who the hell is knocking on my door at this time of – oh, hey Sasuke! Is everything okay?" Naruto asked, looking a bit concerned.

Sasuke was as white as a sheet and there was the smallest bit of perspiration on his forehead. He stepped into the house and walked past Naruto without waiting for an invitation.

"Who is it, Naruto-kun?" Hinata called from the bedroom.

"Uh, it's just Sasuke!" Naruto hollered back, joining Sasuke in the living room. "Um, is everything okay? You've never come to visit before."

Sasuke sighed. "I need advice."

Naruto's ears perked up. "Advice? From _me_? Are you sure about that?" he laughed. "What could you possibly need advice about?"

"Girls." Sasuke said through slightly gritted teeth. It was very hard for him to admit to Naruto that he needed help with something.

Naruto laughed again. "Uchiha Sasuke needs girl advice? That's hard to believe."

Sasuke shot him a death glare from his position seated on the couch.

"I'm just kidding! Gosh, lighten up! But seriously, what's up?"

Sasuke took a deep breath. "I don't know how to…" He was unable to finish his sentence, so he tried again. "I think Sakura wants to…" Once again, he couldn't say it out loud. He growled, frustrated with himself.

Just then, Hinata walked into the room, tying a silk robe around herself as she did so. "Hello, Sasuke-kun." she greeted politely, sitting on the arm of the chair Naruto was currently occupying.

"Hello," Sasuke grumbled, feeling twice as embarrassed with two people in the room.

"Naruto, I think I can help you help Sasuke." Hinata said quietly, bending down to whisper something into Naruto's ear.

Naruto's eyes grew wide and he tried to hide a snicker as Hinata pulled away, blushing slightly. "What's this? Sasuke and Sakura haven't even had sex yet?!" he asked, failing in his attempts to conceal his laughter.

Sasuke stood up abruptly and walked towards the door. _I don't need his bullshit_ , he thought angrily.

But Naruto grabbed his arm before he could leave. "Sit your ass back down and learn to take a joke. If it's advice you want, then sit back and get comfortable, because Hinata is an expert on girls' feelings, and I'm an expert on feeling girls." He winked in Hinata's direction, and she turned as red as a tomato.

Sasuke threw himself back down onto the couch and sighed. _This could take all night_ , he thought to himself wearily.

* * *

Kakashi was sitting in his office the next day when Sasuke entered through the window, as usual. "I don't understand why you can't use the door like a civilized human being, but to what do I owe the pleasure of your company today?" the masked man asked lightly.

Without a single word of greeting, Sasuke walked over to the Hokage's bookcase and snatched a copy of the first _Icha Icha Paradise_ novel from the shelf. "I'm going to borrow this." he said plainly. It was a statement, not a request for permission.

"Trouble in paradise?" Kakashi asked innocently.

Sasuke didn't even bother to waste a glare on his former sensei as he leapt through the window and disappeared as quickly as he had arrived.

 _I wonder what those crazy kids are getting up to_ , Kakashi thought to himself with a smirk.

* * *

 **A/N: Not much to say this time, except please review! Your reviews are what keep me going! I didn't have many reviews for the last chapter, so I was hesitant to post this one (especially since this chapter is lacking SasuSaku fluff), because I'm a little concerned that people won't like it. So please, positive or negative, review! Thanks, have a great weekend everyone.**


	10. A Man of Action

For the first time since Sasuke had returned to the village, Sakura walked home by herself from work. She didn't waste time waiting on Sasuke before she set out for their house alone. Sasuke wasn't the type to be late, so if he wasn't there, then he wasn't coming. Sakura didn't worry about it too much; Sasuke had been acting odd lately. Ever since she had tried to seduce him, things had been awkward around the house.

Sasuke hadn't returned home the night that Sakura had questioned him about sex. She didn't know where he went, but when she woke up for work the next morning, he still hadn't come to bed. He met her after work that evening to walk her home, but he was even more quiet than usual (if that was even possible). She didn't mention it to him though, because he was in a pleasant mood; she didn't think his lack of chatter was because he was mad at her.

Little did Sakura know that for the past week, as soon as she fell asleep, Sasuke left the house again to visit Naruto and Hinata for little "advice sessions". Truth be told, he was more interested in what Hinata had to say than he was in Naruto's crazy ideas.

* * *

 _ **[[[Flashback Sequence]]]**_

"It's not that hard, Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed one night. "All you need is some whipped cream, a bottle of wine, some handcuffs‒" And then he was silenced with a sharp jab to the stomach by an irritated Uchiha.

Hinata, however, was genuinely trying to help Sasuke understand his current predicament. "Sasuke-kun, I think Sakura is worried that you don't think she's attractive enough to, um, sleep with." she said to him quietly.

That puzzled Sasuke. "What do you mean?"

"She thinks she isn't hot enough for you, duh." Naruto elaborated for Hinata. "She thinks she's some consolation prize while you wait for a better girl to come along."

Sasuke scoffed, shaking his head. "That doesn't make any sense. I've told her how I feel."

"Yes, Sasuke-kun, but as much as women like to hear kind words, they also want a man to reassure them through his actions." Hinata told him wisely.

"I thought moving in together made it pretty clear how I felt." Sasuke grumbled. "And besides, since when are girls so eager to have sex? I thought a man was considered a pig if he tried to sleep with a girl too soon." he said defensively.

Hinata politely hid a quiet giggle behind her hand. "You're right, Sasuke-kun. But unfortunately, some women want to have it both ways. A girl doesn't want you to pressure her to sleep with you, because that's rude. But if you don't show any interest in sleeping with her, she thinks there's something wrong, and then she wants what she can't have."

"That's stupid."

"So just bang her already and you'll fix the problem!" Naruto said, nodding emphatically.

Sasuke ignored him and stood up. "I think that's enough for one night."

"Naruto-kun, could you go to the kitchen and start a pot of tea for me, please?" Hinata asked kindly. "I'll walk Sasuke-kun to the door."

Naruto frowned. "Sasuke can walk himself‒"

"Please, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, her lavender eyes looking up at Naruto from under thick lashes. "As soon as I'm done with my tea, we can go to bed." she said quietly with a wink, blushing delicately.

Naruto rushed into the kitchen to start making the tea, and Sasuke walked towards the door. He had his hand on the door knob and was preparing to say goodbye when Hinata cleared her throat softly. He turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Hinata put her two index fingers together, just like she did as a young girl when she was nervous. "I wanted to say something without Naruto around to interrupt." she said timidly.

Sasuke nodded. "Go on."

Hinata took a deep breath and met Sasuke's eyes. "Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but as the heir to my clan, I think I understand what you might be going through with your decision to, um…" she was unable to finish her sentence, but Sasuke understood what she was trying to say.

"And?" Sasuke asked patiently.

"I just know that you're under a lot of pressure. But if you explain that to Sakura, I'm sure she'll understand." Hinata smiled shyly. "She really loves you, you know."

A small smile flickered across Sasuke's face. "I know." he agreed quietly. "Thanks for all the advice, Hinata." He opened the door and stepped out onto the front porch. "I'm going to try something." he smirked, walking away into the night.

 _ **[[[End Flashback Sequence]]]**_

* * *

Sakura entered the house and placed her things on the hall table, locking the door behind her. (Naruto had come and replaced the door just a few days ago after Sasuke had tracked him down and demanded he fix it sooner rather than later.)

"Sasuke?" she called as she made her way towards the bedroom. She was in desperate need of a shower; she felt gross. She was surprised to see Sasuke already in bed when she entered their room. "Are you okay?" she asked, thinking maybe he didn't feel well.

"I'm fine." he said with a small smirk.

Sakura scrutinized him from across the room. He had already removed his shirt and was lying comfortably under the sheets with his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. _His arm muscles look so sexy right now,_ she noted. He didn't look sick or tired; in fact, he looked very much awake.

"Well, I'm going to take a shower." she said, walking towards the bathroom.

"Wait," Sasuke said. "Come here." He patted her usual spot in the bed, inviting her to join him.

"But I feel dirty…" Sakura whined, but she walked towards the bed anyway. "And if I let myself lay down, I might not want to get back up." she laughed.

"I like it when you're dirty."

Sakura paused, giving Sasuke a curious look. _Was that a play on words? Is he trying to flirt?_ she asked herself. _Is that even possible?_ She was about to pull the covers back when Sasuke laid his hand on top of them, effectively stopping her.

"Take off your clothes first." It was a command, not a suggestion. "You know, since you're dirty." he explained.

"If you say so." Sakura said, slowly removing her shirt and dropping her shorts to the floor. _He's up to something, I just know it._ Once she was in her underwear, Sasuke lifted his hand and let Sakura slide under the sheets next to him. "So what did you need me to come over here for‒"

Sasuke cut her off with a swift kiss. "We're not talking right now."

Sakura was slightly confused, but she allowed Sasuke to pull her in for another kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and he ran his fingers through her hair. She let out a soft moan as Sasuke proceeded to kiss her from her neck down to her chest. He stopped at the edge of her bra, and he looked up at her with mischief in his eyes. He slowly reached behind her and undid the clasp, making her gasp with surprise. "Sasuke!"

"Trust me." he whispered reassuringly, pulling the bra away from her body and tossing it onto the floor.

Sakura instinctively reached down to pull the sheet up over herself, but Sasuke gently stopped her and held her gaze, silently letting her know that he wasn't going to ogle her breasts. Sakura took a deep breath and nodded, feeling a little more excited and a little less anxious with every passing moment. _What exactly is he planning to do?_ she thought.

Sasuke pulled her closer to him so that they were chest to chest, and she loved the way his skin felt against her bare chest. They resumed kissing for several minutes, both of them beginning to breathe more heavily in the process. Each of them was running their hands up and down the other's body, hungry for more. As Sakura's hands made their way down Sasuke's back, digging her nails into his flesh, something stopped her.

Or rather, a _lack_ of something.

She froze momentarily as she realized that Sasuke was completely naked under the sheets. There was no waistband to stop her wandering hands, and she was suddenly aware of how close she was to touching Uchiha Sasuke's butt. She felt Sasuke's lips smirking against hers, and she realized that that was his plan all along.

 _He thinks he's so slick,_ she thought to herself with amusement. _He has no idea what he's gotten himself into._ She pulled away from him, flashing a sultry smile as she reached under the sheets and removed her own underwear, throwing them aside.

Sasuke's eyes widened briefly and his heart pounded in his chest as he realized they were both completely naked. He wasted no time in throwing Sakura down on the bed so he could place himself on top and kiss every inch of her exposed skin.

Sakura shivered with goosebumps and tried to hide her face behind her hands in embarrassment, but Sasuke pulled them away and paused his kissing of her body to kiss her on the forehead instead.

"You're beautiful." he told her with a smile.

Sakura giggled, kissing him on the lips. "I still feel dirty, though. You don't want to kiss me all over like that when I'm dirty…"

"We can fix that." Sasuke said quickly, scooping her up in his arms before she could protest.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck hurriedly. "What are you doing?" she asked, feeling more exposed than ever as the sheet fell away from both of them. _I wasn't expecting him to be so enthusiastic – what have_ I _gotten_ myself _into?_ she thought, feeling the irony of the situation.

Sasuke carried her into their bathroom and set her down on the countertop between the two sinks. He kissed her quickly but passionately on the lips before he confidently grabbed two towels from underneath the sink and turned on both shower heads, slowly filling the bathroom with steam from the hot water.

Sakura's heart was pounding in her chest. She bit her lip and admired Sasuke's body as he walked back to her with a seductive smirk on his face. He held out his hand, and she took it as she hopped down from the counter and followed him into the shower.

After Sasuke pulled the glass door shut behind them, he pushed Sakura into the flowing water and began kissing her heatedly. They quickly discovered that making out in the shower was not as sexy as the movies always portrayed it; water ran into their eyes and mouths, and their wet hair stuck to their faces.

Sakura giggled as she wiped her bangs out of her face for the third time. "This is tricky."

Sasuke nodded, also brushing his hair aside and biting his lip as he gently but firmly pushed her against the wall. Sakura yelped when her back touched the cold tile, and Sasuke rolled his eyes and kissed her anyway.

"Sasuke," Sakura said raggedly, coming up for air. "Wait."

Sasuke froze, thinking he crossed some sort of boundary or broken some unknown rule in his eagerness.

"What are we doing?" Sakura asked with an airy laugh.

Sasuke frowned.

Sakura kept her expression lighthearted. "I mean, I just thought‒"

Sasuke silenced her with his lips. "You thought what?" he asked when he pulled away.

"I guess I just thought that you didn't–"

"You thought I didn't _want_ to do this?" Sasuke pulled Sakura's naked body into his arms and kissed her. "You thought wrong." he said huskily between kisses. "I _want_ to do a lot of things." he told her emphatically. Then, in a quiet voice: "I'm just not _ready_ to do them yet."

Sakura pulled away so she could see Sasuke's face better. "What do you mean?"

Sasuke grumbled to himself in minor embarrassment. Despite spending the past few months with Sakura, he still wasn't fond of sharing his most private thoughts in a great detail. "Look, I'm not all that great at intimacy. It's not that I don't like it – I'm just not good at it. And I've got a lot of, uh, other things on my mind." he muttered shortly.

Sakura could barely hear his voice over the sound of the running water, but she understood every word. Her brow furrowed in concern. "Sasuke, is something wrong?"

Sasuke exhaled sharply in growing frustration. "No." He took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Look, just go ahead and clean yourself up. I'll be waiting in bed for you." he said bluntly, letting go of her and stepping out of the shower. He wrapped a towel around his waist and left the bathroom, leaving a stunned and slightly disappointed Sakura alone in the shower.

* * *

 _Why is this so fucking difficult?_ Sasuke wondered as he lay in bed, waiting for Sakura to finish her shower. _How hard is it to say, 'Look, Sakura, I love you and I would love to sleep with you, but I'm too emotionally scarred to do that right now. Oh, and by the way, I can't sleep with you unless you're prepared to assume the role of Uchiha matriarch, so I hope that's cool with you.'_ He groaned, tugging at his dark hair in frustration.

Everyone had always assumed that the dark, mysterious Uchiha who oozed sex appeal would wind up a womanizer and try to bed every woman he came into contact with. No one had ever stopped to consider the possibility that Sasuke was raised in a traditional household with a strict father who taught him from a young age to respect women as homemakers and child bearers; not as sexual objects. And of course, in later years, Sasuke would come to respect women as extremely capable shinobi, as well.

He just didn't think it would be right to sleep with Sakura until he was sure that she knew exactly what it entailed. The problem was that Sasuke didn't exactly know how to explain any of this to her himself. He didn't want to risk ruining the only relationship he'd ever had.

His anxious thoughts were interrupted when Sakura emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel with water dripping from her hair. _But God, she's so attractive,_ he thought, an ache developing in his groin.

Sakura noticed the way Sasuke was staring at her, and she blushed as she dropped her towel to the floor and got into bed next to him. She pulled the sheets up and lay on her side with her head propped up in her hand. "Everything okay now?" she asked kindly.

Sasuke nodded, meeting her gaze. "Hn."

Sakura smiled with relief. "Good, because you really confused me back there in the shower…" she said, trying to sound casual. But deep down, she was dying to know what was going through Sasuke's head. "I mean, at first I thought we were going to…you know…" She didn't want to say it out loud.

Sasuke stared at the ceiling and shook his head. "No," he said tonelessly.

Sakura steeled herself. "But you do _want_ to, right?" she asked anxiously.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk at her insecurity. "Yes. Stop freaking out."

Sakura breathed an audible sigh of relief and laughed nervously.

Sasuke rolled closer to Sakura and gently ran his thumb over her lower lip. "You know," He looked into her eyes and bit his own lip. "We're both still naked."

Sakura's pulse quickened and she nodded, eyes wide with anticipation.

"There are a lot of _other_ things we could do." Sasuke said, raising an eyebrow suggestively as he threw back the sheets.

Sakura felt goosebumps appear all over her body; she shivered with excitement. "What kind of things did you have in mind?"

Sasuke gave her a mischievous look and pulled her on top of him. "Let me show you."

* * *

Later that night, Sasuke lay with his arm around Sakura, whose head was lying on his chest; they both basked in the afterglow of their sexual escapade. Sasuke had a rather smug look on his face, while Sakura was smiling to herself with her eyes closed.

"Sasuke," she began lazily.

"Hn?"

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Sakura asked breathlessly.

Sasuke smirked to himself and wrapped his arm more tightly around the pink-haired woman. "Ask me no questions; I'll tell you no lies."

Sakura's eyes suddenly found the small book that lay on Sasuke's nightstand. _That's odd_ , she thought. _I didn't know Sasuke liked to read._ She squinted in an effort to read the title on the binding, and when she finally deciphered the small letters, she couldn't help but giggle aloud.

"Am I allowed to make an educated guess?" she asked cheekily, sitting up and grabbing the book from the table before Sasuke could protest.

Sasuke's face went white with embarrassment as Sakura rifled through the dog-eared pages of Kakashi's _Icha Icha Paradise_ book. "Um, I can explain."

* * *

 **A/N: College classes have started again, so my updates will be very slow. My priority is school before writing (unfortunately). As for this chapter, while I realize that some of you may think Sasuke and Sakura are moving too quickly, I do hope that most of you enjoyed reading it! I've had a few negative reviews over the past couple of weeks, and while they are slightly discouraging, I think that the majority of my readers like my writing style and plot points so far. As always, please review and tell me how I did! I'm always open to suggestions and** _ **constructive**_ **criticism.**


	11. The Truth

Several months passed, and Sasuke and Sakura continued to explore their newfound intimacy. Sakura never questioned why Sasuke sometimes froze in the heat of the moment, a look of trepidation briefly crossing his face before he continued. Sometimes, right when she thought they were finally going to have sex, Sasuke would completely shut down and go for a walk, or mumble something about how Sakura needed to get some sleep before work the next day. While this frustrated her to no end, she knew better than to bring it up in conversation; he would explain everything in due time.

* * *

Sasuke vomited into the toilet, his sweaty palms on either side of the porcelain basin. _Dammit,_ he growled internally.

Sasuke's anxious thoughts about his relationship with Sakura were spilling over into his dreams as he slept, and this was the first time in months that his nightmares had made him sick. Hair clung to his sweaty forehead as he spit into the toilet one last time before flushing the evidence. He leaned against the cold side of the bathtub and took a deep breath, steadying himself to return to bed where he knew Sakura would be awake and concerned for his health.

Sasuke grimaced when he heard Sakura rise from the bed and knock quietly on the door as she entered.

"Sasuke?" she mumbled, walking toward him. Her silk nightgown matched her tousled pink hair, and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"Don't lie to me." Sakura reprimanded quietly, sitting across from Sasuke and leaning against the bathroom cabinets.

Sasuke closed his eyes and tilted his head back, taking another deep breath. They sat in silence for several minutes, Sakura being too stubborn to go back to bed without a satisfactory answer.

"Sakura," Sasuke began softly, looking up at the ceiling. "Has anyone ever told you the truth about Itachi?"

Sakura shook her head; her brow furrowed in confusion. "The truth?"

Sasuke nodded, heaving a great sigh as he mentally prepared himself to let Sakura into one of the most personal parts of his life; a part that very few people would ever learn about. "My brother may have killed our entire clan, but he didn't do it in cold blood like everyone believes he did."

Sakura adjusted her sitting position, knowing that she was about to hear a very important story. "He didn't?" she asked, urging Sasuke to continue.

Sasuke told Sakura the entire story of Uchiha Itachi. He explained the tension between Konoha's government and the Uchiha clan, the double-agent that Itachi was forced to become, the people Itachi was forced to kill, and the way Itachi had carefully crafted his plan so that Sasuke would never suspect the truth. Sasuke told her about how he had killed his brother without knowing any of this, and how he had later been told the truth by Tobi when he was still masquerading as Madara. He also told Sakura about his encounter with the resurrected Itachi during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and how he had finally come to terms with Itachi's past, having finally heard firsthand why Itachi had been forced to make such difficult decisions: to protect Konoha, and more importantly, to protect his little brother.

Sakura listened to the entire story without saying a single word. She was afraid that if she interrupted, Sasuke wouldn't have the patience to continue. So she listened intently, absorbing every word he said and committing it to memory. She wore a mask of mild interest as Sasuke spoke, although her true emotions ranged from shocked and disgusted to concerned and sorrowful.

When Sasuke finished the epic tale of Uchiha Itachi, there was complete silence. Sasuke was trying to read Sakura's face as she processed everything she had been told. Meanwhile, Sakura wasn't sure what to say to the last Uchiha.

Finally, Sakura found the courage to speak. "He really loved you, Sasuke." she said softly.

Sasuke nodded and said bitterly, "He did. And I killed him."

Sakura frowned. "But you didn't know‒"

"How long can I keep using that as an excuse for everything I've done?" Sasuke asked angrily. He started to shake as his nightmares replayed in front of his eyes, over and over again. "How can I atone for so many years of hurting the ones who loved me?"

"Sasuke," Sakura said soothingly, reaching for his hand and grasping it gently.

"I've been having dreams about you." Sasuke said suddenly, looking elsewhere across the bathroom, avoiding Sakura's gaze.

"What kind of dreams?" she asked tentatively, knowing very well that they weren't happy ones, as made evident by his tossing and turning every night.

"Flashbacks," he explained. "Every person I've ever killed suddenly has your face. And each time, Itachi is there, shaking his head at me; telling me I'm a disappointment."

Sakura didn't know what to say, so she just squeezed his hand sympathetically.

"I almost killed you once." Sasuke said softly, pulling his hand away. "I almost killed you, and you're still in love with me."

Sakura nodded slowly in confirmation.

Sasuke's brow furrowed as he studied the kunoichi sitting across from him. "Why?"

Sakura didn't answer him.

"Why, Sakura? You could've had any other guy; any other shinobi. You said you've been on dates with other guys – why didn't you choose one of them?"

"It's not that simple, Sasuke‒"

"Answer me." he growled through gritted teeth.

"I tried, okay?" Sakura said defensively, not pleased with his demanding tone of voice. "I tried to give other guys a chance. I tried to tell myself that you were gone, and you were never coming back; that you'd never love me, even if you came home. I tried to convince myself that I could be happy with someone else; that they'd love me more than you ever could." she said tearfully, her voice cracking as she spoke. She looked down at the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. "But it was never enough. I always compared them to you. They could have offered me the world, and it would have never been enough, because they just weren't _you_."

Sasuke took a moment to absorb Sakura's words; he observed the tears spilling from her eyes. And he was overwhelmed by the realization that this woman truly loved him, probably more than he ever could have guessed. It was one thing to hear the words "I love you"; it was another thing to hear the pain in her voice as she told him how desperately she tried to move on from the pain he had caused her.

"I don't deserve you." he said quietly; resignedly. "I've done so many terrible things to so many people."

"Just because you've done terrible things doesn't mean you're a terrible person." she told him gently.

"But why me, Sakura?" Sasuke asked again, this time with gentle curiosity.

"I think," Sakura struggled to find the words to sum up their very complicated past. "I think I wanted to help you. Right from the start, even when we were children, I knew there was a certain darkness in your past that was clouding your future. And I thought to myself, _Maybe I could be the one to save him._ I wanted to be the one to pull you out of the darkness."

Sasuke was silent, mulling over her words in his head.

"But Naruto beat me to it," she continued, smiling sadly as more tears spilled from her eyes. "I couldn't bring you back, but Naruto did – just as he promised he would."

"Naruto may have brought me back," Sasuke began, tentatively grasping Sakura's hand. "But you're the reason I stayed; you're the reason I returned to this house. Don't doubt for a second that your role was any less important than Naruto's."

Sakura smiled at Sasuke through the darkness of the moonlit bathroom, and he leaned forward to plant a soft kiss on her forehead. Sakura sniffled as Sasuke wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'm such an ugly crier." she laughed, rubbing her swollen eyes.

"Don't say that," Sasuke said, using his fingers to brush a strand of hair from her face.

Sakura scooted across the floor and wiggled her way into Sasuke's arms. He held her close to his chest with his chin resting on the top of her head, and they sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. They felt each other's muscles relax as the tension from their conversation dissipated. Finally, when they were both calm, Sakura spoke:

"Why did you wait this long to tell me about Itachi?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, ashamed of himself. "I was afraid that if I told you," he whispered, "You'd see me differently; you'd see me as the monster that killed his own brother for nothing." He swallowed before continuing. "I guess I didn't have enough faith in you, and for that, I'm sorry."

Sakura turned her head to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Sasuke, there is absolutely nothing you could tell me that would make me love you any less." she said firmly. "Perhaps that makes me a fool in some regards, but it's the truth. I'm in love with you, and nothing will ever change that." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and smiled warmly. "All I ask is that you're honest with me."

The word "honest" struck a chord with Sasuke, and he frowned to himself. "I haven't been completely honest." he admitted, averting his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked kindly.

Sasuke took a deep breath and sighed awkwardly. "There's a reason I won't have sex with you." He blurted out the words before he could stop himself. "I didn't want to tell you, because I didn't want to freak you out." he explained quickly.

Sakura, remembering her conversation with Hinata about such topics, had a pretty good idea of what Sasuke was trying to say. However, she wanted to hear it from him herself. "You can tell me, Sasuke." she coaxed.

Sasuke suddenly felt very appreciative of the darkness in the bathroom that hid the blush on his cheeks. "I can't sleep with you unless we're married." he said hurriedly, somehow thinking that if he could just get the words out fast enough, the embarrassment wouldn't last as long.

Sensing his anxiety, Sakura gave him a swift kiss on the lips and said, "I understand."

Sasuke's brows rose in mild surprise. "That's it? You understand?"

"Of course." Sakura shrugged. "I'm certainly not going to force someone to have sex before they're comfortable doing so."

"It's not that I'm not comfortable with you," Sasuke said carefully. "It's more of a tradition thing." He fidgeted for a second before continuing. "If we aren't married, and you get pregnant, it would be really shameful to my clan." he explained. "And after all of the awful things I've done, I've decided that if I'm going to restore my clan, I want to do it the right way."

"I understand completely." Sakura said warmly.

Sasuke was a little surprised that Sakura was reacting so casually to everything he had said. "I don't want you to think I'm trying to guilt you into marrying me," he said cautiously. "But you said to be honest, so there you have it. I can't have sex with you unless you're prepared to be my wife and the mother of my children."

Sakura nodded in understanding, as casual as could be.

Sasuke's brow furrowed. "None of this seems to come as a surprise to you."

Sakura bit her lip, knowing that Sasuke would figure it out eventually. "Well, in the spirit of being honest, Hinata told me a while ago that that was probably the reason you weren't sleeping with me." she admitted meekly.

"Why were you talking to her about this sort of thing?" Sasuke asked, scrutinizing her face.

"I was worried that there was something wrong with me; that you didn't think I was good enough for you or something. That's when Hinata told me about the way things like this are handled in prestigious clans like the Hyūga and the Uchiha."

To Sakura's surprise, a small smirk made its way onto Sasuke's lips. "Interesting." he mused. "So you went to Hinata for relationship advice?"

"Yes, you're not mad about that? I know you're very private." Sakura said, trying to gauge Sasuke's reaction.

Sasuke chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "Hinata has been a double-agent, it seems." Sakura gave him a curious look, so he continued: "I, too, have been taking relationship advice from Hinata."

"Since when?" Sakura asked, trying not to laugh.

"For a few months, now." Sasuke admitted. "You know all those nights when I disappear for a few hours? I go to Naruto's house for advice from him and Hinata."

Sakura stifled a giggle behind her hand. "I can't believe neither of them told me that! They're sneaky, those two. I suppose we should thank them, though, for helping us."

"You can thank Hinata, but I'm not thanking Naruto." Sasuke said stubbornly, hiding a smirk.

Sakura laughed and buried her face in Sasuke's neck as he tightened his arms around her in an affectionate embrace. "Do you realize that we've been sitting on the bathroom floor for over an hour now?" she asked him.

Sasuke slid one arm under Sakura's knees and rose from the floor with her in his arms. "Maybe we should get back to bed." he said, carrying her to their bedroom. "Somebody has to work tomorrow."

"You always say that!" Sakura pouted as Sasuke laid her on her side of the mattress before walking around to his side of the bed.

Sasuke smiled smugly, pulling the blankets over both of them. "Because it's always true." he reasoned. "You can't do your job if you're up all night talking to me."

Sakura crawled closer to Sasuke and traced a finger across his muscular chest flirtatiously. "What if I'm up all night doing everything _except_ talking to you?" she asked with a wink.

Sasuke chuckled and shook his head, tucking Sakura into bed next to him and kissing her on the lips. "Not tonight; you have to deliver three babies tomorrow, so you better get as much sleep as you can."

"It's not like I'm the one giving birth," Sakura scoffed.

"Not yet, anyway." Sasuke muttered under his breath, rolling over to face the wall.

"What did you just say?" Sakura asked suspiciously.

"Nothing – go to sleep." Sasuke said nonchalantly, grateful that Sakura couldn't see the satisfied smirk on his face as he fell asleep.


	12. Between a Rock and a Hard Place

One day, Sasuke received word from a genin messenger that Kakashi had requested that he visit the Hokage tower at his earliest convenience. Not one to keep people waiting (unlike his former teacher), Sasuke had perched himself on the windowsill of the Hokage's office within fifteen minutes. It only took five more for Kakashi to walk through the door, shaking his head and sighing as he threw himself into the chair behind his desk.

"These people just love to waste my time with tedious paperwork." Kakashi said drearily.

"If being Hokage is so dull, why did you agree to it?" Sasuke muttered from his position behind Kakashi on the windowsill.

It was a rhetorical question, but Kakashi answered it nonetheless. "Because Naruto wasn't quite ready for the job."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes with skepticism. "You really think he'll be the next Hokage?"

Kakashi shrugged, his back to Sasuke. "It'll either be him, or you."

Sasuke scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Don't make me laugh. I dropped that idea long ago."

"I'm serious." Kakashi continued. "You're both war heroes and the strongest young men in the village. Neither one of you is ideal, of course," he smirked beneath his mask. "Since you have an unpredictable temper and a tendency for revenge, and Naruto is controlled by his raw emotions."

A vein twitched in Sasuke's forehead.

"But we're not here to discuss the next Hokage, now are we?" Kakashi said lightly. "I've called you here for something a little more interesting." He reached under his desk and pulled out a cardboard box wrapped in police tape.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow in mild interest.

"Since it appears that you're here to stay, I thought it might be time to return some of your things to you." Kakashi said, swiveling his chair and holding out the box for Sasuke. "Or rather, some of your _family's_ things."

Sasuke grasped the box and pulled it into his lap, carefully ripping off the tape as he did so. "How thoughtful of you." he said blandly. "Where did you find this?"

"The village confiscated nearly everything after the massacre, but they didn't throw anything out. It was all kept as evidence; they were trying to figure out why Itachi snapped." Kakashi explained. "Remember, very few people knew about Itachi's true mission," he said very quietly.

Sasuke nodded mutely and slowly opened the package. Before him lay his mother's jewelry box, covered in black velvet with silver feet and a ruby-encrusted silver lock. A tiny silver key lay in one of the corners of the cardboard box. Sasuke picked it up and turned it over in his hand a few times. He then removed the jewelry box and discarded the cardboard box onto the floor. He slowly slid the key into the lock, turned it until he heard a small _click_ , and carefully lifted the lid.

Sasuke's mother had been a simple, practical woman. She was not fond of flashy, useless items like jewelry. But there were two items that she treasured more than anything else: the Uchiha family ring and a locket that her husband gave to her after the birth of their second son.

Sasuke lifted the locket from the bottom of the red velvet-lined box and carefully pried it open; the passage of time had made the hinge stiff. The left side of the locket held a tiny picture of baby Itachi, and the right side contained a tiny picture of baby Sasuke.

Next, Sasuke picked up his mother's ring – the Uchiha family ring that had been passed down for decades. An oblong onyx gem, embedded in silver and framed by small rubies, glittered in the sunlight as Sasuke tilted it from side to side. Memories of this special ring flashed through his mind like a stop-motion film: the ring sparkling as his mother washed dishes at the sink in front of the kitchen window, the ring gently tugging on Sasuke's hair when his mother bathed him, the ring laying in a small jewelry dish on the tea table when his mother removed it to tend to her garden…

"Thank you," Sasuke said quietly to Kakashi, coming out of his reverie. "I always wondered if she was wearing the ring when…" He didn't want to finish his sentence, but he knew Kakashi understood.

"There are more items, of course, but I thought this was one of the things you would want back sooner rather than later." Kakashi explained, not quite meeting Sasuke's gaze.

Sasuke nodded, placing the ring back in the jewelry box with the locket and locking it with the delicate silver key. "Is there a particular reason for this? Don't lie."

Kakashi bit his lip beneath his mask. "You're not going to like it, so before I tell you, please promise you won't wreck my office."

"Kakashi," Sasuke growled.

Kakashi held his hands up in mock surrender. "Just don't shoot the messenger, okay? The village elders have suddenly taken interest in the future of the Uchiha clan."

"Oh?" Sasuke asked tonelessly, narrowing his eyes.

"They seem to have this idea in their heads that you owe the village some stability – some hope for the future, if you will. After all, we are still rebuilding after the most destructive war in our history." Kakashi said seriously. "And while the council pardoned you for your war crimes, you aren't exactly in the clear yet."

"Go on." Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

"The council has decided that if you're going to stay in the village, you need to revive the Uchiha clan. The revival of your clan will prove to the villagers that you are truly on our side again and that the village will continue to prosper. To get you started, the village has come up with a proposal."

Sasuke's glare told Kakashi to hurry up and get to the point.

"Either you find a suitable woman to marry within 30 days, or the elders will arrange a marriage for you with a maiden from a neighboring nation. This is non-negotiable. If you leave the village, you will be listed in the Bingo Book as a missing-nin. And I doubt the village will pardon you the second time around." Kakashi said gravely.

"This is blackmail." Sasuke spat the words with cold fury.

Kakashi nodded. "I know. Alas, even as Hokage, my vote is useless against a unanimous decision by the council. But you do have a choice." he said quietly. "That's why I gave you your mother's jewelry. You can choose the woman yourself, or you can let the elders decide."

"You want me to choose Sakura." Sasuke said plainly.

"I assumed she was the most obvious, and only, choice."

Sasuke scowled, taking deep breaths to control his anger. "This isn't fair to her. She should not be punished for my past mistakes."

"Do you really think that she would feel that marrying you is a punishment?" Kakashi asked softly. "Sasuke, you clearly don't know Sakura as well as you think you do."

Sasuke shook his head quickly with frustration. "Stop it. I know she'd marry me in a heartbeat; she's too kind, too selfless. But that's not fair to her, and you know it."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "The life of a shinobi is never fair. But surely marrying you isn't the worst thing to ever happen to her. Some might even say she's earned it."

Sasuke scoffed in exasperation and disgust, rising from his seat with the jewelry box shaking in his hands. "So this is it. I either force Sakura to marry me, or I marry some foolish heiress that I know nothing about, and who knows nothing about me or my clan."

Kakashi didn't have time to respond before Sasuke had vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

Sasuke was livid as he stalked toward the hospital that night. Just as he was beginning to make progress in his relationship with Sakura, everything had blown up in his face. _I never should have returned_ , he thought to himself bitterly. _Now things between Sakura and I will be ruined forever._ Sasuke knew that choosing another woman was out of the question for him; no one would ever be able to understand him and everything he'd been through. They would either see him for the monster that he felt he truly was inside, or they would worship him – the very last of the legendary Uchiha – like an idol.

Life had never been fair to Sasuke. He had been robbed from ever having an ordinary life the very moment that Itachi agreed to assassinate the entire clan. But Sasuke had thought, if only for a moment, that perhaps he was going to get a second chance. Perhaps he was finally going to have the chance to heal, to fall in love, to build real relationships with people…

And now it was all going to be an act. He would never know what Sakura was really thinking, if he asked her to marry him only for the sake of the village. Of course she would say yes, but would it be sincere? Would she only say yes because she felt that it was her duty as a shinobi?

If he really wanted to do what was best for Sakura, maybe he should choose the foreign bride. That was the only option that left Sakura to do as she pleased for the rest of her life. If she became his bride, she would be trapped. Of course, marrying another woman would initially cause Sakura a great deal of heartache, but she would understand that Sasuke was fulfilling his duty as the sole heir to his clan…right?

Sasuke marched through the atrium and took the stairs two at a time as he made his way to Sakura's office. He ignored every passing nurse who tried to wave and greet him; he couldn't look anyone in the eye right now. He kept his eyes straight ahead, focusing on the door to Sakura's office as numerous nurses tried to flag him down to say hello. Couldn't they see that he was in a foul mood?

The door to Sakura's office was ajar, but she was not there. Frustrated, Sasuke turned on his heel and continued down the hallway, listening intently for the sound of Sakura's voice from one of the exam rooms. He was so focused on finding Sakura that he was briefly startled when Tsunade appeared in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest, blocking his path.

"Where do you think you're going?" Tsunade asked sharply.

Sasuke glared at her from beneath his bangs. "I'm looking for Sakura."

"Haven't you heard?" Tsunade lowered her voice, but her eyes were still sharp. "Or were you too busy ignoring every nurse who tried to get your attention as you strutted through my hospital?"

Sasuke blinked in mild confusion, his face bland. "Tell me what's going on." Remembering that he was speaking to a former Hokage and the chief of the hospital, he quickly mumbled, "Please."

Tsunade was silent, biting her lip as she made a decision. "Go back to Sakura's office and wait for further instruction," she ordered. And then she was gone.

Sasuke did as he was told, slamming the door behind him as he entered Sakura's office. He did not like secrets, and he did not like being told what to do. He began to pace, his eyes taking in his surroundings as he struggled to think about something besides what was going on with Sakura. He saw calendar hanging on the wall; today was the first of September.

 _30 days._

 _Do I tell her? If so, when? And how? How do you ask someone to marry you for the sake of producing heirs?_ Sasuke thought to himself frantically. _Maybe I should find a way to sneak it into conversation to find out how she really feels about it_ , he thought. _No, honesty is the best policy with Sakura. I owe her that much._ The door opened behind him, and he spun to see a disheveled Sakura entering the room.

She looked worse for wear, albeit not visibly injured. Her skin was pale, her eyes were tired, and her skin was covered in a thin, glistening layer of sweat. Sweat had completely soaked through her clothing, and she had pulled her damp hair back into a high ponytail. She walked past Sasuke without making eye contact and collapsed into her chair, closing her eyes as she leaned back and propped her feet up on her desk.

Sasuke waited a few moments out of courtesy before his impatience got the best of him. "What's going on?" he asked quietly.

"Naruto has been attacked," Sakura said breathlessly, her chest heaving with the effort. "Badly injured."

Sasuke's eyes were sharp. "By who? Tell me what happened." he demanded, slamming his hands down onto the desk as he waited for Sakura to give him more information.

"Not entirely sure." Sakura said in barely more than a whisper, struggling to catch her breath.

"Sakura," Sasuke said slowly, finally realizing how labored Sakura's breathing was. "Are you okay?" he asked slowly.

Sakura's eyes flew open, and she pushed herself away from the desk as she vomited onto the floor. "Sasuke," she said faintly, her eyelids fluttering.

Sasuke leaped forward and caught Sakura in his arms just as she lost consciousness.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, dear readers! I could make excuses about my prolonged absence, but I will spare you the time it would take to read about my life's current events. I just wanted you all to know that I am still alive, and I cherish every review that makes its way to my inbox! Keep them coming – I want to hear your thoughts!**

 **This chapter has quite a bit of drama! (And so much angst!) I'm trying to get the ball rolling for some real plot development, because as much as we all love fluffy stories, they can't go on forever without some sort of driving force for the characters.**


	13. Delays

"… _overexerted herself…she'll be out of action for a while…so reckless…"_ a female voice said.

Sakura understood bits and pieces of dialogue as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

"… _should have stopped her…so stubborn…"_ a male voice replied quietly.

"… _it was Naruto…lost her sense of reason…"_

"… _his condition?"_

"… _full recovery…saved his life…"_

Sakura lay there with her eyes closed, trying to figure out who was in the room with her. Based on the smell of the room, the quality of the bed, and the IV she felt in her arm, she was in the hospital. She couldn't remember why she was there, but she knew better than to cause a scene.

"Let me take her home," the male voice said stubbornly. Sakura knew that voice.

"Absolutely not," the female replied sternly. Sakura recognized it, too, from years of being on the receiving end of that commanding tone. "You are nowhere near qualified to care for her."

Sakura heard the man huff with frustration as the woman exited the room, her heels clicking on the floor as she walked away.

"I know you're awake." Sasuke said quietly, coming to her bedside.

Sakura tried to ask what had happened, but her throat was hoarse and no words came from her mouth when she tried to speak. She tried to open her eyes, but her lids felt so heavy, like they were made from lead.

"Don't," Sasuke chastised softly. "Just rest."

Sakura's consciousness began to fade, and before she was gone, she felt cool lips brush against her forehead.

* * *

When Sakura awoke the next day, the severity of her condition hit her like a ton of bricks. Every fiber of her being was overwhelmed by a dull ache. Her head was pounding, her limbs were heavy, and when she reached into her chakra pool, she felt only the slightest flicker of energy.

"I wouldn't try that, if I were you." The stern female voice was back.

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, noticing that it was nighttime and the room was dark. She was grateful for the lack of bright sunlight that she knew would have burned her eyes. "Tsunade-sama…" she said, smiling faintly.

Tsunade was seated across the room on a small sofa. "Don't even think about using your chakra for at least a week. You'll regret it." She rose from the sofa and walked to Sakura's bedside, taking Sakura's wrist into her hand to check her pulse. "You're still incredibly weak. If you weren't so bad off, I'd flick your forehead for being so foolish."

"What happened?" Sakura asked, confused. "I don't remember anything."

Tsunade chuckled to herself and shook her head. "You nearly killed yourself because you let your emotions get in the way of your common sense."

Sakura remained perplexed.

Tsunade returned to the sofa. "Naruto returned badly injured from a mission. We believe he was targeted because of his significance to Konoha as a war hero. He had lost a lot of blood, and several of his vital organs had been punctured. He was also subjected to torture, and his mind was in bad shape," she said grimly.

"How is he doing now?" Sakura asked, making a concentrated effort to remain calm.

"He made a full recovery, thanks to you and a lot of bedrest. He was asleep for three days and bedridden for another three. It was nearly impossible to keep him restrained, but Hinata managed to convince him to do as he was advised by the medical staff."

"Wait, that's six days…how long have I been asleep?"

"Only a week," Tsunade replied, chuckling at Sakura's anxiety. "Naruto was released yesterday."

Sakura couldn't believe that she had been asleep for that long. "So what happened to me?"

"You nearly drained your own life force trying to save Naruto. It was the damage to his mind that pushed you over the edge – you had already expended so much chakra healing his wounds and replenishing his blood. I honestly thought you were going to die for him; I know how important he is to you."

Sakura blushed with embarrassment and shame. "I should have known better than to push myself that far."

"You're damn right." Tsunade agreed emphatically; then her voice softened. "But you're both alive, and that's the important thing. Now you need to focus on your recovery."

Sakura nodded, knowing that she had narrowly escaped death, and she needed to take her recovery period seriously.

"You will remain in the hospital until I deem you fit for release." Tsunade said, her voice becoming business-like. "You are not allowed more than two visitors at a time. You are not allowed to leave your bed without assistance. You are not allowed to use your chakra."

Sakura bowed her head in submission. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

Tsunade rose from the couch and walked toward the door. "It's nearly midnight, so try not to stay up too late. You still need rest. You hear that, Sasuke?"

Sakura looked around, confused. Sasuke wasn't here, was he?

"Hn," a voice said from the window, and Sakura turned her head too quickly in an effort to locate Sasuke. She winced with pain.

"Lurking outside of windows is frowned upon, especially at this hospital. Next time, just come inside." Tsunade said reasonably. "Or at least try harder to conceal yourself; I'm not fond of being spied on by a child." she said haughtily, walking away.

As the sound of clicking heels faded, Sakura stared up at Sasuke, who was perched on the windowsill and was studying her with dark eyes. "How long have you been there?" she asked quietly.

Sasuke did not answer her question. "How do you feel?" he asked instead.

Sakura sighed, leaning back against her pillows. Her muscles burned with every movement, and she ground her teeth to fight the pain. "I'm okay." she lied through her teeth.

"Hn," Sasuke scoffed. "You were never good at lying."

Sakura sighed again. "What else am I supposed to say?"

"Tell the truth." Sasuke said, his eyes boring into hers with a soft intensity that revealed how much he truly cared.

"I feel like complete shit." Sakura admitted. "I also feel stupid for letting this happen," she sighed. "I'm just glad that Naruto is okay."

Sasuke did not say anything in response to that; he simply turned and stared out into the night, letting the cool breeze blow his bangs over his eyes.

"You were waiting for me in my office when I passed out, right?"

Sasuke didn't look at her when he nodded his head.

Sakura frowned. "Was there something you needed to talk to me about? You usually don't come inside the building…had you already heard about Naruto?"

Sasuke shook his head, keeping his eyes on the moon. "No. It was a coincidence."

"Well I'm glad you were there with me when I fainted. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I had been alone and no one had found me until hours later." Sakura whispered.

"Me too." Sasuke agreed, finally looking her in the eyes again. "You scared me, Sakura." he said softly, so quiet that no one else would hear him admit one of his biggest fears.

Sakura looked down at her hands, which she had clasped in her lap. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Sasuke said bluntly, gracefully dropping from the windowsill and onto the floor. "You saved our best friend," he said as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sakura smiled a little bit at Sasuke's mild attempt to praise her. She noticed that his posture was rather stiff; he had yet to show her any sort of affection. _Maybe being in the hospital makes him uncomfortable_ , she thought. "Hey," she said softly, trying to sit up.

Sasuke silently rushed to her side, one hand supporting her back as she struggled to lift herself from the pillows. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "Lay back down."

Sakura smiled and complied. "I just wanted you to come over here and sit with me," she said innocently.

Sasuke frowned at her. "Don't do that again. You're going to hurt yourself." His reprimand was only half-hearted, though; there was no bite to his words.

Sakura patted the space next to her on the bed, and Sasuke eyed her apprehensively.

"I don't think I should…" Sasuke hedged.

"I insist." Sakura said stubbornly with a grin.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it's appropriate for a hospital."

Sakura giggled, wincing a little bit as pain shot through her ribcage. "Don't be silly, I just want you to sit with me until I fall asleep. I promise I'll behave," she said earnestly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and slowly put his weight on the bed, careful not to bump into Sakura. Truth be told, he was incredibly worried about hurting her. He had watched her collapse in her office; he'd been the one who carried her through the halls until he found Tsunade. He had watched as they tried to resuscitate her when her heart gave out. He had stood there, completely helpless, just as he had done when Itachi confronted him after the death of his parents. When Shizune had announced that Sakura's heart was beating again, Sasuke felt immense relief wash over him. He hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath the entire time.

After they took Sakura into another room for proper treatment, he had lingered in the hospital for hours, his nerves completely shot. Once she had been placed in a permanent room, he had watched her nearly every minute of every day. He only went home to shower and eat when Tsunade agreed to look after Sakura herself; Sasuke trusted no one else to watch over her.

In all of the commotion, however, he had not forgotten for a single second that he still had a major decision to make. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything to Sakura until she was fully recovered; it wouldn't be fair to stress her out like that while she was already so weak.

"Relax," Sakura said gently, rubbing Sasuke's arm. "You can come a little closer; I'm not a china doll."

Sasuke hesitated, but complied with her request, kicking off his shoes and propping his feet up.

Sakura rested her head on his shoulder, taking a careful deep breath. "Promise you won't leave until I'm asleep?" she yawned.

Sasuke smirked, knowing that he would not be leaving for quite a while. "Promise." he agreed.

* * *

Sakura slept in longer than she would have at home; she noticed that someone had pulled the curtains shut to block out most of the morning light and give her more time to rest. Still feeling stiff, she slowly sat up against her pillows and pushed her call button for breakfast.

While she waited for someone to arrive, she surveyed her hospital room in the dim daylight. There were several cards on the table in the corner of the room, a "get well soon" balloon tied to a chair, and someone had even bought her a stuffed bear.

A nurse arrived with a bowl of chilled fruit and a small glass of water. Sakura could not hide her disappointment at the meager breakfast she was being offered.

"I'm sorry, Sakura-san, but this is protocol." the nurse said nervously, bowing with regret. "Your body needs time to acclimate."

Sakura sighed, but plastered a smile on her face. "Please don't worry; I understand."

The nurse made another quick apology before she quickly exited the room.

"New staff members are always so skittish." Sakura said to herself, taking a bite of a piece of cantaloupe.

"That's because you're scary when you're angry." a voice said from the doorway.

Sakura saw the orange jumpsuit from her peripheral vision as she turned and saw Naruto standing there, looking slightly skittish himself. "Naruto!" she said excitedly, wincing as she tried to sit up straighter.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." he mumbled, using one hand to rub the back of his head. His other hand was hidden behind his back. "I just wanted to drop by and thank you for, uh, saving my life."

"Please come sit down." Sakura gestured to one of the chairs at the table in the corner.

Naruto walked into the room, pulling a bouquet of flowers from behind his back as he did so. "I brought you these," he said, still looking a bit sheepish. "I feel really bad that you—"

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. I knew the risk," Sakura said, waving away his apology. "I don't really want to think about it right now," she explained.

"Oh, well here you go." Naruto handed her the bouquet, which included sunflowers, daisies, and baby's breath. "Ino said these flowers bring happiness or something. I'm not really good with all that flower crap," he chuckled.

Sakura smiled, taking the bouquet and setting it on her nightstand. "Thank you, they're wonderful. I'll ask a nurse for a vase the next time they come and check on me."

Naruto took a seat at the table. "So how long are you in here for?"

"I'm not sure yet. It depends on how long it takes my chakra to restore itself, I suppose." Sakura shrugged. "Until then, I'm Tsunade's prisoner." She tried not to sigh too heavily, as she could still feel tension in her lungs and ribcage.

"Have you seen Sasuke since you woke up?" Naruto asked casually, picking up the stuffed bear and examining it.

"I saw him briefly last night, but he's yet to visit today." Sakura said, shrugging again. "I think hospitals make him nervous."

"He was really worried about you, you know." Naruto said quietly. "I heard that he hardly left your bedside while you were out of it."

"I can believe it," Sakura nodded solemnly.

There was an awkward pause, and silence hung between the two friends for several long moments as they both struggled to find something else to say.

"You know, if hospitals make him so nervous, I wonder why he's sitting outside your window right now, eavesdropping on our conversation." Naruto said with a smirk.

Sakura's eyebrows rose in surprise as Sasuke silently came into the room through the window, brushing the curtains aside.

"You know, there is a door you can use," she chastised. "And I thought Tsunade told you to stop spying on me?"

Sasuke let the ghost of a smirk appear on his lips. "She only said _she_ didn't like being spied on."

Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto laughed at the loophole Sasuke had found. "So what's your excuse for lurking this time?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your time with Naruto." Sasuke shrugged.

"Lame excuse." Naruto said through an obviously fake cough.

Sasuke shot a cold glare at his comrade, but Naruto's sunny disposition went unaffected.

"So, like, what are you two nowadays?" Naruto asked rather bluntly.

Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other cautiously, each wondering what the other would say. Sasuke, being a private person by nature, left the decision up to Sakura. He knew that they both loved each other deeply, but he didn't know how he was supposed to label their relationship. And with the threat of the village council looming over his head…

"Committed," Sakura answered finally, smiling at Sasuke. _He looks like he's brooding over something_ , she thought to herself absently.

Sasuke felt something tighten in the pit of his stomach. Was it guilt? Guilt for keeping such an important secret from Sakura?

"That's such a bullshit answer – have you slept together yet?"

And with that, Sasuke escorted Naruto from the hospital room via the open window. When Naruto was out of sight, Sasuke closed the window and pulled the curtains so that curious eyes would not be able to see into the room.

"He is so obnoxious." Sakura shook her head, but smiled at the bouquet of flowers on her bedside table "But he's got a heart of gold."

"Hn," Sasuke smirked. "His heart must match his obnoxious hair."

Sakura giggled, then clutched her ribs. "Ow! You can't make me laugh like that," she said, smiling as she gasped for breath.

Sasuke frowned. "You're right, you need to rest. No more visitors."

Now it was Sakura's turn to frown. "But I just woke up! You can't honestly expect me to sit here all day and stare at the wall?"

Sasuke just looked at her, and Sakura saw that his mind was preoccupied with something besides her wellbeing. Knowing Sasuke, however, she decided to change the subject instead of prying into his affairs; he would tell her whenever he was ready.

"I need a shower," she said, gesturing to her rumpled hospital gown and greasy pink hair. "They may have washed Naruto's blood off of me, but if I've been asleep for a week, then it's been a week since I was last clean!"

"I'll go find a nurse to assist you," Sasuke said, walking toward the door.

"No, I don't need a nurse," Sakura said stubbornly, throwing her legs over the edge of her bed. She tried to hide her pain as she stretched her legs, rolled her ankles, and curled her toes. After loosening her joints, she placed her feet on the floor and tried to stand.

"Whoa," Sasuke said, quickly scooping Sakura up into his arms as her knees gave out and she lost her balance. "You haven't walked in a week, and Tsunade said you're not allowed to leave your bed unassisted," he scolded.

"Well I don't need a nurse," Sakura repeated firmly. "Can you imagine? I'm in charge of these people during the week, and now I need them to help me walk? My reputation would be ruined," she huffed. "Just help me get to the bathroom and I'll handle the rest."

Sasuke scowled at Sakura and carried her into the bathroom, being extra careful not to jostle her as he walked. The hospital bathroom was equipped with a shower bench and detachable showerhead behind a thin white plastic curtain; quite minimalistic and depressing, in Sasuke's opinion, but he understood its purpose. He gently set her down on the bench and then stepped aside, unsure of what he was supposed to do next.

"Here, help me take off this ridiculous gown," Sakura said as she struggled to reach the ties that held her thin blue gown together on her backside.

Sasuke hesitated. "I should get a nurse," he mumbled. "This isn't appropriate."

Sakura groaned in frustration. "What are you talking about? You've already seen me naked, and we've showered together."

A hint of a blush crept onto Sasuke's cheeks. "Yes, but someone could walk in and get the wrong idea."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Nobody in their right mind is going to walk into my hospital room without authorization. They just brought me my breakfast, so unless I push the call button, they shouldn't be back until lunch to check on me," she said patiently. "Now, are you going to help me or not?"

Sasuke obliged, helping Sakura remove her hospital gown. Years of hiding his emotions from others allowed him to maintain his composure even as he saw the outward damage that had been done to Sakura's body during her attempts to save Naruto. He was no medical expert, but from the fading purple and green bruises on Sakura's chest and abdomen, he guessed that such an extensive use of chakra had put substantial strain on her vital organs and chakra network, and the damage extended all the way through to her skin.

Simultaneously, Sasuke couldn't help but admire Sakura's figure. His eyes roamed her body, noticing more week-old bruises before settling on the overall picture painted by her subtle curves. He blinked twice, realizing that he should be helping and not staring. He quickly pulled the shower head from its wall bracket and turned on the water, adjusting it to the right temperature for Sakura.

Sakura took the showerhead from Sasuke and smiled. "You can wait outside if that makes you more comfortable; I've got it from here."

Sasuke nodded and pulled the shower curtain closed to give Sakura more privacy as he exited the bathroom. He left the door slightly ajar in case she needed to call for assistance, and then he awkwardly sat on the bed to wait.

He hadn't been sitting for very long when there was a knock at the door and Ino walked in with a fruit basket. She gasped, eyes wide with surprise to see Sasuke in the room instead of Sakura.

"Oh, Sasuke!" she exclaimed, automatically standing a little straighter and subconsciously puffing out her chest. "I hadn't expected to see you here! Where is Sakura?" she asked, setting her gift on the table.

"She is cleaning up right now." Sasuke answered mildly, nodding to the bathroom door.

"But she's not supposed to be left alone, right? Tsunade-sama told me she's still fragile," Ino said, giving Sasuke a slightly disapproving look.

Sasuke let out a small chuckle in spite of himself. "Don't let _her_ hear you say that."

Ino rolled her eyes. "I'll go sit with her." She turned back to look at Sasuke as she opened the bathroom door. "Unless you'd like to do the honors?" she asked innocently.

Sasuke scowled, and Ino giggled as she slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Sasuke had always found Ino to be obnoxious, but at least she was a good friend to Sakura now that their rivalry for him was over.

* * *

After Sakura was done bathing herself, Ino handed her a towel and helped her stand. Then they walked to the vanity and Ino ran a comb through Sakura's wet locks in a sisterly fashion.

"Hey," Sakura whispered, making sure that the door was shut and the bathroom fan was still running, drowning out the specifics of her speech to any outside listeners. "Did something happen with Sasuke when I was out of it? He's been acting a little standoffish since I woke up," Sakura said, biting her lip.

"Isn't that his trademark behavior?" Ino snorted.

Sakura frowned in the mirror at her friend. "Not with me, it's not. Maybe he still acts that way with you because you're a snarky and annoying gossip." She stuck her tongue out at Ino.

Ino rolled her eyes, continuing to comb wet knots out of Sakura's pink hair. She took a moment to consider Sakura's original question. "One of the advantages of being a gossip is that I hear more things than I should," she admitted seriously. "I heard that the night Naruto was attacked and you passed out after healing him, Sasuke had just come from a meeting with the Hokage when he came to the hospital. The other nurses said he looked murderous, like something had really pissed him off."

"Does anyone know what the meeting was about?"

Ino shook her head. "No, but I would imagine it was serious. You know Kakashi doesn't like playing the Hokage card."

"I wonder if he's being sent on a mission." Sakura said sadly. She'd been spoiled these past few months by Sasuke's constant presence, but in the end, he was still a shinobi. If the village had a mission that required the very best ninja, Sasuke was the man to call.

"Who knows, but try not to worry about it, okay? You have enough to worry about." Ino said firmly, pulling the hairdryer from the wall.

* * *

 **A/N: I admit, this was a bit of a filler chapter so that you all know what happened to Sakura after she fainted. Please review!**


	14. Purpose and Power

Sakura spent a few more days in the hospital before boredom and frustration began to take their toll on her disposition. Her bruises had faded to a pale yellow-green, she was able to walk independently (albeit carefully), and her diet had returned to normal. For Sakura, it was embarrassing to have her own apprentices caring for her night and day – she was supposed to be the one in charge!

Additionally, Sakura was becoming increasingly irritated with Sasuke's aloof behavior. He constantly checked in with her to make sure she was safe, but he said very little. When she tried to coax him into talking to her about whatever was bothering him, he either ignored her or changed the subject. She had thought that they were past all of that secretive behavior, and for a moment, she became worried that perhaps he had realized that love was just too complicated for him to bother with. After all, as much as she loved Sasuke, she sometimes still had to wonder if their relationship was real.

Sakura didn't realize that Sasuke was spending every free moment contemplating his future.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, it's been five days. I feel fine. Please release me." Sakura was nearly begging Tsunade at this point.

Tsunade pursed her lips. "You must promise not to use your chakra for at least another two days, but waiting even a few more days would be best. I can't have my second-in-command out of commission for any longer than she needs to be." Tsunade admitted.

"Yes, I promise!" Sakura said emphatically.

Tsunade glanced over at Sasuke, who was perched in the window and watching Sakura carefully. "Sasuke," she barked. "You'll keep an eye on her?"

Sasuke nodded mutely, his eyes narrowing slightly as if to say, _Do you even need to ask me that?_

Tsunade exhaled heavily through her nostrils, having made up her mind. "Fine, you're free to go."

"Yippee!" Sakura said gleefully, grinning from ear to ear. "Just bring me the discharge papers and I'm gone!"

"I took care of it." Sasuke said, coming forward to lift Sakura from her bed and into his arms.

"Hey now, a patient cannot be released without their own signature or the signature of their spouse." Tsunade said sharply.

Sasuke gave Tsunade a long, meaningful look. Being one of Kakashi's advisors, Sasuke figured that Tsunade knew all about his current predicament with the council.

Tsunade tilted her head in a subtle nod and walked out of the room.

"What was that about? And why are you carrying me? I can walk by myself." Sakura peered up at Sasuke and raised an eyebrow.

"Home is on the opposite side of town. You're not walking that far by yourself yet."

"You're being overprotective," Sakura muttered, crossing her arms.

"I know," Sasuke said quietly into her ear, his breath tickling her neck.

Sakura couldn't help but smile just a little bit at Sasuke's mild form of affection. She tried not to look too childish in front of her coworkers as Sasuke carried her out of the hospital, still wearing her hospital gown. Sasuke had gradually taken her gifts and flowers home throughout the week, so there was nothing else to be taken home except for Sakura herself.

As they made their way through town, several people stopped to express their relief that Sakura had made a full recovery and had been released. While Naruto and Sasuke were the biggest war heroes, no one had forgotten the last member of Kakashi's legendary Team Seven.

"You're quite popular," Sasuke mumbled, dodging a small group of children who were playing in the street.

"I suppose so, but only because I've healed half of the village and delivered most of their babies since the war ended." Sakura shrugged.

Sasuke had never taken the time to really appreciate just how powerful Sakura had become, both in physical strength and in social status among the villagers. He was the unapproachable deserter of the village who had earned last-minute redemption; Naruto was the friendly goofball who was frequently called away from the village for missions or to assist neighboring nations. Sakura, on the other hand, was a constant presence for the villagers. She was rarely sent on missions, she was always eager to socialize with passersby, and she literally saved people's lives on a regular basis, not just during wartime. The village looked up to her; they knew they were in good hands as long as she was around.

Sakura had become an authority figure; a woman of grace and influence.

These characteristics were exactly the traits that any Uchiha was supposed to look for in a future spouse.

"It's almost funny," Sakura mused aloud. "When I was little, I was painfully shy, and nobody would be my friend until Ino gave me her seal of approval. But now," she continued, smiling. "I feel like a whole different person. And I love it. I love waking up every morning and knowing that I'm going to positively impact someone's life that day. I don't necessarily love the attention, but I love having a purpose and knowing that I have value in this village."

 _Value,_ Sasuke thought to himself. _Sakura has value because of what she does at the hospital. Her purpose is to help people. What is my purpose? Am I valued for anything more than the Uchiha bloodline?_

* * *

Having promised Tsunade that he would look after Sakura, Sasuke supervised while she changed into her normal, more comfortable clothing (goodbye hospital gown!) and made herself some food in the kitchen. She then read the newspaper at the kitchen table while she ate, eager to catch up on any major news that she missed while she was in the hospital. Sasuke sat next to her and folded his hands beneath his chin, propping his elbows onto the table while he idly watched her read the paper.

"So," Sakura said after a few minutes, turning a page of the paper. Her eyes remained focused on the text. "Are you going to tell me what's been going on for the past week, or do I have to pester you?" She continued to casually read the paper.

Sasuke looked straight ahead, avoiding any possible eye contact with Sakura. "You're annoying when you pester," he said mildly.

Sakura tried to hide her smile. "I know. But eventually you'll tell me, right?"

Sasuke sighed. "I have a decision to make."

Sakura nodded, eyes still on the paper in front of her. "I see." She waited for him to divulge more information.

Sasuke paused for a moment before continuing. "I have two options; both have consequences."

Sakura's brow furrowed slightly with concern, and she looked up at Sasuke, who was still avoiding her gaze. "Consequences for who, exactly?"

"The same person."

"Is it you?" Sakura inquired, growing a little more concerned.

"No." Sasuke shook his head. "But I don't want to hurt the person my choice will affect."

"Well," Sakura went back to reading the paper, sensing Sasuke's unease. "I'd say do whatever is best for you in the long run, Sasuke. In this world, sometimes you just gotta look out for yourself."

"I've done a lot of selfish things in my life, Sakura." Sasuke said quietly. "I don't want to repeat my past mistakes."

Sakura laid the newspaper down onto the table and turned in her seat to face Sasuke. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he turned his head toward her. Green eyes met onyx, and she gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze. "You're a different person now than you were before, Sasuke. I know you are." She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Trust your gut," she advised, smiling encouragingly.

Sasuke watched as Sakura rose from the table and took her dishes to the sink to be washed. She tied her hair back and turned on the faucet, waiting for hot water to come. Her hair almost sparkled in the sunlight that fell onto her through the window. Sasuke was once again reminded of his mother when she would wash dishes after dinner every night. She would pull back her glossy black hair, and her ruby and onyx ring would sparkle as she lovingly scrubbed each plate clean.

Sakura began to hum a quiet melody as she rinsed her plate, and Sasuke's memories shifted to all the times that his mother sang him to sleep when he was a small child. Before he even knew what he was doing, he silently went into the bedroom and pulled his mother's jewelry box from his dresser drawer. He pulled out the ring and stared at it for a few moments, lost in thought.

Part of Sasuke wanted to rush back into the kitchen and ask Sakura to marry him without any further explanation. Another part of Sasuke knew that Sakura deserved the entire story. And still another part of Sasuke was frozen with fear, unsure of whether he should leave Sakura out of this mess altogether. She had clearly built a life for herself here in the village without his help – who was he to go and turn everything upside down?

"Sasuke?"

As Sasuke whirled to face Sakura, he quickly slipped the ring into his pocket.

"Did I surprise you?" Sakura giggled. "You walked out of the room so quickly, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay." Her eyes wandered to the jewelry box laying open on the bed, and her face lit up. "Wow, where did you get such a beautiful jewelry box?"

"It was my mother's." Sasuke said quickly, thankful that Sakura hadn't noticed the ring that had been in his hand moments before.

"May I?" Sakura asked, reaching for the velvet-covered box with gentle hands.

"Of course." Sasuke said, and he meant it.

Sakura examined the velvet, the silver feet, and the tiny key that we wedged into the silver lock. She lifted the lid and caught sight of the silver locket that had been left open, revealing baby pictures of Sasuke and Itachi. "Is that…?"

"Me. And Itachi." Sasuke said, pointing to each picture in turn.

Sakura stifled a small giggle. "You were so cute," she said, smiling. "How old were you when you learned how to scowl?"

Sasuke felt himself about to give her one of his signature scowls, but he checked himself at the last second. "Funny," he said quietly, poking her on the forehead with two fingers in retaliation.

"Ouch," Sakura said playfully, rubbing her forehead. "You know I'm sensitive about my big forehead."

"Even if your forehead was abnormally small, I'd still poke it." Sasuke said with a nostalgic smile as he remembered the way his brother used to poke his forehead. For all those years, Sasuke had thought that it was his brother's way of telling him to go away. If only he had known the true Itachi when he was young, then perhaps things would have ended differently…

"I can't believe you'd pick on someone who just got out of the hospital." Sakura said with pretend sadness, closing the jewelry box carefully. "What would your mother think?"

Sasuke's face froze.

Sakura quickly realized her mistake and tried to backtrack. "I'm sorry, it just slipped out. I didn't mean it like that." She bit her lip, worried that she had stirred negative feelings in Sasuke.

But Sasuke just looked at her for several long moments, thinking to himself. Then he slowly reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind Sakura's ear, his hand grazing her cheek. "My mother would think that you're wonderful," he said softly, almost a whisper. "She would tell me to behave when I'm with you, or else I'd lose the only woman who could ever put up with me."

Sakura's eyes were shining with emotion. "You think so?"

Sasuke nodded. "I know so," he said sincerely. "She would be thankful that I'm not alone anymore; that someone brought the light back into my life."

A small tear slid down Sakura's cheek, and she smiled as she wiped it away. "Sasuke, I wish so much that I could have met your mother. I bet she was wonderful, too." She closed the gap between the two of them and wrapped her arms around Sasuke's waist, pressing her face into the space between his shoulder and his neck.

Sasuke returned the embrace, kissing the top of her forehead. They held each other in silence for several moments, enjoying a private moment of intimacy for the first time in over a week. Sasuke couldn't help but slowly run his hands along Sakura's waist, hips, and lower back affectionately. In return, Sakura kissed Sasuke near the base of his throat, causing goosebumps to emerge on the back of his neck. She then kissed along his collarbone, reaching up to pull down the collar of his shirt so she could begin kissing his chest.

Sasuke struggled to contain a low groan of pleasure. "Sakura," he breathed. "You're supposed to behave."

Sakura smiled smugly and pulled away, leaving Sasuke's arms limp at his sides. "Fine, if you insist." She slowly walked away, subtly moving her hips from side to side as she exited the bedroom.

Sasuke bit his lip; his hormones were raging. But with everything that had happened recently, he wasn't sure that ravishing Sakura in the bedroom was on the list of things that needed to be done, especially when she was still in recovery. "Wait," he called to her, taking a step toward the door.

Sakura peered around the doorframe, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

Sasuke crossed the room and swept her into his arms, gently kissing her fully on the mouth. "A little bit of misbehavior never hurt anyone," he said huskily, laying her on the bed.

"I agree." Sakura smiled, pulling Sasuke in for another kiss.

* * *

When they were done misbehaving, Sakura fell asleep in Sasuke's arms with her head lying on his bare chest. Sasuke was still awake, his mind racing with his usual thoughts.

First, he noticed that the owls had stopped calling to one another, and the sounds of the crickets had faded away.

Then he sensed them.

Sasuke fought the instinctual urge to leap from the bed and prepare himself for a possible threat. He activated his Sharingan, his whole body tense and alert. He lay still, not wanting to disturb Sakura. He counted the chakra signatures: only two shinobi. They weren't moving at all; they were completely still.

Watching. Listening.

They remained for several hours, and then they disappeared as quickly and silently as they had arrived. Sasuke vaguely recognized their chakra signatures, and he ground his teeth in fury. He connected the dots and decided that it was time for another meeting with Kakashi.

* * *

"I'm happy to hear that Sakura is going to make a full recovery," Kakashi said to Sasuke as they both leaned over the edge of their favorite bridge in Konoha, looking out over the water. They had arranged for a casual meeting that day, with Kakashi becoming bored with Hokage business and Sasuke becoming more and more paranoid with the passing days. It had been a little over two weeks since their last encounter, meaning Sasuke had less than two weeks to find a way to ask Sakura to marry him and revive the Uchiha clan.

"Yes, both she and Naruto are very fortunate." Sasuke had decided to give Kakashi a moment to make idle conversation before he launched into the reason for calling this meeting.

"Naruto has been looking for some way to repay Sakura for all of her trouble; he feels responsible for the whole incident," Kakashi commented with a chuckle. "He's visited my office at least twice asking for advice, but I'm not sure what to tell him. Any ideas?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Sakura seems to be content with her life at the moment; I can't think of anything she might want from him."

"I think this is probably the most content that any of us have ever seen Sakura." Kakashi gave Sasuke a sideways glance. "Have you spoken with her at all about the arrangement that must be made?"

Sasuke did not answer.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Kakashi said, chuckling again. "But have you considered asking Naruto for advice? He knows the two of you better than anyone else, even me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Kakashi, we all know that you just pretend to play dumb. Naruto is the clueless one."

Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto has a special gift when it comes to helping people understand what they're feeling."

Sasuke knew Kakashi was right, but he wasn't going to admit it.

"I wish there was something I could do to change things," Kakashi sighed. "The council is standing their ground on this. Half of them are convinced you're going to make a run for it, and they can't wait for another reason to have you exiled."

"Tell them that I'm not going anywhere, so they can stop stationing ANBU patrols outside of my home." Sasuke said coldly.

Kakashi's face did not portray any hint of the surprise he felt. "Are you sure?" His tone was mild, but there was anger simmering in his eyes.

Sasuke nodded, glaring out across the river at an imaginary council that he could not see. "Two ANBU have visited my house every night since Sakura returned home. They stay out of sight, but I can feel them. Luckily, Sakura is usually asleep by that time." Sasuke shot Kakashi a meaningful look. "I do not want Sakura to suspect that anything is amiss. The council needs to remove the patrols immediately unless they want two dead squad members on their hands."

Kakashi shook his head with frustration. "Are they out of their minds? To send ANBU to the Uchiha compound without authorization, and to send a unit who can't even disguise their chakra from you…it's like they're trying to bait you into an attack." Kakashi sighed. "Honestly, I'm impressed that you've refrained from attacking them thus far."

"It takes a great deal of effort." Sasuke said tersely. "My priority is to keep Sakura in the dark until the right time. So I have to act like nothing is wrong."

"I hate to break it to you, kid, but I hope you realize that if Sakura becomes your bride, she's in for a lot more than just ANBU patrols," Kakashi said seriously.

Sasuke nodded, sighing.

"She's going to have a huge target on her back from the moment you're betrothed," Kakashi continued, his voice businesslike. "She will first be targeted in an effort to blackmail you into submitting to an enemy's demands. When she is carrying your children, she will be targeted to prevent the bloodline from being revived. And when the children are older, they themselves will also become targets for things like blackmail, revenge, and general wrongdoing."

Sasuke had thought about these things before, but hearing Kakashi say them aloud was jarring. He would essentially be sentencing Sakura to a life of constant watchfulness. They could never let their guard down.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the council insisted on a full-time ANBU patrol around the Uchiha compound once she becomes pregnant, to be honest."

"I can protect Sakura myself." Sasuke spat the words with anger. "I don't need others getting involved in my personal business."

"But the revival of such a powerful clan is not just your business, Sasuke. It's the business of everyone who lives in the village, because power dynamics will completely change once your children come of age."

"I don't want power; searching for more power is what fucked up everything for me in the first place." Sasuke bowed his head regretfully. "I don't want power anymore. I just want a chance to make up for what I've done – beginning with Sakura."

"We don't always get what we want." Kakashi said quietly. "We just have to make the best of what we're given. And you were given immeasurable power as soon as Itachi made you the last living Uchiha on the face of the earth. If you want to make things right with Sakura, you should use that power to give her whatever will make her happy. And as much as it might surprise you, perhaps spending the rest of her life with you is what will make her happy." Kakashi said wisely. "Even if it means she's giving up her freedom."


End file.
